2nd Eskwela Conference Opening Remarks - Cict Rrc

Office of the President of the Philippines COMMISSION ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

2nd eSKWELA CONFERENCE Shaping the Future Through Synergy Tuesday, 31 March 2009, 1:00 p.m. Matabungkay Hotel and Beach Resort, Lian, Batangas ________________________________________________________________________ Opening Remarks SECRETARY RAY ANTHONY ROXAS-CHUA III Chairman, Commission on Information and Communications Technology To be read by COMMISSIONER CONSUELO S. PEREZ First Daughter Ms. Luli Arroyo-Bernas, Secretary of Education Jesli Lapus, Dr. Nora Magnaye, President of the Batangas State University, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant good afternoon to all of you. Let me start by welcoming you to the second eSkwela Conference on the theme “Shaping the Future Through Synergy”. We gather together to share in the success of an innovative initiative, due in large part to the effective mobilization of a broad base of stakeholders committed to provide learning opportunities to the underprivileged and marginalized sectors of our society. We particularly commend the Department of Education, through its Bureau of Alternative Learning System, the CICT eSkwela Project Team, partner local government units, state universities and colleges, eSkwela implementors, teachers, instructional managers, and civic and non-government organizations, whose untiring efforts and commitment contributed to the successful synergy of vision and implementation of the eSkwela Project. The eSkwela Project responds directly to our national development priority of delivering learning opportunities through ICT to our out-of-school youths and adults. A flagship project of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology, or CICT, through its Human Capital Development Group, the Project attempts to reduce the digital learning divide and enhance the capacity of these individuals to be successful participants in a global and knowledge-based economy. We are particularly supportive of the eSkwela project, because not only does it offer our students an opportunity to gain exposure to computers and the Internet, but it also gives students who have dropped out of school for a variety of reasons a second chance. Sometimes, a second chance is all a student needs to go from living on the streets to making a difference in society. Established through a grant from the APEC Education Foundation, four eSkwela pilot sites were initially set-up in Quezon City; San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan; Cebu City CICT-NCC Building, Carlos P. Garcia Avenue, Diliman 1101 Quezon City Republic of the Philippines Tel. Nos. (632) 426.1526 to 28 Trunk Line (632) 920.0101 locals 101-102 Fax No. (632) 426.1525 www.cict.gov.ph

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and Cagayan de Oro City, and inaugurated within the first half of 2007. Following this initial grant, the CICT made the eSkwela Project part of its ICT for Basic Education, or ICT4BE, Program and continued to provide support for further development of e-learning and livelihood modules, regional road shows for the mobilization of local communities, and training for the educators and implementers of community-led eSkwela Centers. Currently, in addition to the four pilot sites, five new community-led eSkwela Centers have been set up in Ormoc City, Zamboanga City, Quezon City-Loyola Heights, Marikina City, and Leyte-Tanauan. We are also happy to report that forty more initiatives led by local communities, are in varying stages of implementation. The eSkwela Project utilizes an ICT-enabled, inquiry-based, interdisciplinary, and thematic approach to teaching and learning. At an eSkwela Center, a blended type of learner-centered instruction is exercised where students can engage in computer-aided learning via interactive e-learning modules, teacher-led instruction, and collaborative group activities and projects. Instructors, called mobile teachers, are mainly facilitative in a student-paced learning environment. In its first year of operations, the pilot eSkwela Centers produced a total of 563 learners, of which 356 have passed the Accreditation and Equivalency Exam of the Department of Education. We are extremely proud to note that such innovative teaching earned the eSkwela Project a Certificate of Commendation from the UNESCO ICT in Education Innovation Awards in 2008. Let us give a round of applause to the CICT eSkwela Project Team, as well as all the eSkwela partners and stakeholders. [APPLAUSE] As we progress towards a global, knowledge-based economy, let us not forget that our competitiveness lies in how well we develop and nurture our human capital resources. As knowledge becomes the building block of our knowledge society, the value of education cannot be emphasized enough; and for education to be relevant, there has to be room for new ideas and innovation. I enjoin you all to continue the good work, sustain the energy, and keep sight of the goal of bridging the digital learning divide. This Conference affords us the opportunity to share new ideas and next steps for an improved implementation of the eSkwela Project for 2009-2010. We have benefited 563 learners so far, and many more await our help and support so that they may have a brighter and more promising future. Maraming salamat at mabuhay!