In an internet-driven world, everyone is hard-pressed to keep up with the technology. Every aspect of society is to some extent (if not fully) dependent on computers, the internet and the convenience the technology brings. Schools, hospitals, businesses and even the government incorporate an ICT element in their work.
In an effort to equip today’s youth -the future builders and the present foundations of this country- with the ability to not only keep up, but compete with the rest of the world, The Commissions on Information and Communications Technology Human Capital Development Group (CICT) together with partner State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) all over the country came up with The iSchools Project.
What the project is all about
According to Engr. Roly Barlot, one of the engineers involved in the project, iSchools will serve not only as a conduit of eLearning especially in rural areas, but more importantly, it is “an outsourcing job potential for Filipinos” as well.
Today’s computer and technology-driven world demands for our students and future job seekers to compete in the local and global employment markets with those from more developed countries, and for them to do so, we need to equip them with the right skills now.
Who will benefit from project?
Public high schools all over the country are the target beneficiaries for the project. In a stakeholders’ meeting for the SUC volunteers, the criteria for choosing the benefit schools were presented.
The criteria are the following:
-absence of a computer laboratory
-presence of stable and sufficient supply of electricity
-adherence to counterpart responsibilities such as:
-room space of 48sqm or higher, preferably near the school entrance
-provision of computer chairs and tables, electrical requirements of the lab, cabling requirements of PCs located in the library, faculty room and principal's office
-safeguarding the premises (equipments and users)
-strong support from the school community and development partners in the area
-willingness and ability to integrate ICT in education for learning and management
-presence of internet connection in the area
As for the project objectives, Gambol explained in an iSchool Sustainability Workshop held in Iloilo that the basic premise of the project, aside from serving as a link between the school and the community and being a permanent part of education, is self reliance.
Looking forward: Where will The iSchools Project take us?
During the stakeholders’ meeting, the SUC volunteers were also informed of the project’s long-term objectives.
By 2010, CICT projects that:
· the personal computer to student ratio will have been lessened from 1:300 to 1:50
· ICT will have been incorporated in the curriculum
· 100% of all Philippine high schools will be ICT enabled.
See related story on this page: IIT partners CICT in iSchools project (NEWS)
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