Recipients raise concerns about project implementation

Principals of 80 recipient public high schools (PHS) as well as ICT coordinators of the Department of Education (DepEd) shared their concerns during the iSchools 2009F Regional Project Briefing of the Southern Luzon Cluster on February 22-23, 2010 at the Development Academy of the Philippines, Tagaytay City. The activity, which was attended by 111 participants from the Southern Tagalog and Bicol Regions, aimed to orient the new recipients of the project and to promote awareness of their responsibilities before, during, and after project implementation.

Opening Program

Dr. Divinia C. Chavez, President of Cavite State University (CvSU), welcomed the participants and commended the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) for the impact of the iSchools Project. She also acknowledged the efforts of the CvSU project management team in hosting the event for CICT. Ms. Antonette T. Torres, Project Manager of the CICT, presented the overall schedule for the briefing. She also thanked the participants particularly those who traveled far and acknowledged their commitment to the project.

Briefing Proper

Ms. Alexcenah S. Sta Ines, CICT project staff, presented a video titled, "Have You Been Paying Attention", which highlighted the emerging trends in information and communications technology among students. This was followed by a briefing through video about CICT and its programs. Ms. Toni Torres discussed the iSchools Project and what are to be expected during the implementation. She also shared learning experiences from the implementation of the previous batches. Ms. Matilde C. Origenes, CICT project staff , presented the draft Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and highlighted the responsibilities of all the project stakeholders. Mr. Steve Poniente, CvSU instructor, gave an introduction on Open Source software in general and edUbuntu in particular. EdUbuntu is the operating system bundled with the hardware being deployed by CICT to the recipient schools.

Issues and Concerns

"When will the equipment be deployed?", asked many of the participants who are too eager to start the project implementation. A cluster meeting was conducted after the presentations. Representatives from each group being assisted by the different partner State Universities and Colleges (SUC) aired their concerns and some issues for clarification as follows: schedule of implementation, tenure of PTA officers, possible change in leadership due to the coming elections, support to capability enhancement activities, plans in case of natural disasters/calamities, connectivity of remote areas, and additional funds for sustainability of the laboratory. Ms. Alex Sta. Ines and some of the project managers from SUC partners clarified the issues raised by the recipients.

SUC Partners

iSchools 2009F for the Southern Luzon Cluster is made possible through the partnership with six SUCs in Southern Tagalog and five SUCs in the Bicol Region. These are: Cavite State University, Batangas State University, Southern Luzon State University, Laguna University, Romblon State University, Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology, Bicol University, Camarines Norte State College, Central Bicol State University of Agriculture, Partido State University, and Sorsogon State College.

With this orientation and lessons learned from the previous batches, it is hoped that the project implementation will run smoothly even after project completion.