DepEd, UNDP launch ICT program in schools without power

The Department of Education (DepEd) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have begun the delivery of computer systems and solar panel packages to public schools without access to electricity.

DepEd and UNDP officials led the official launch of the program in Basilan earlier this month, with the delivery of the equipment in thousands of schools expected to be finished by September.

Some 4,000 schools without access to electricity will receive computer and solar panel packages to give students access to information and communications technology (ICT).

“We will surely go back to the dark ages if we ignore ICT… We have to remember ICT is primarily a tool which helps us in making decisions, which helps us in understanding the world that we live in, which helps us find solutions,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones added.

The program is part of the 2016 agreement between the DepEd and the UNDP for the implementation of the computerization program, which aims to provide computer packages to public schools across the country.

Based on the project timetable, the delivery of the systems started last Dec. 21 and will continue until Sept. 1.

Teachers and other staff will also be trained on how to use the computers and solar panels.

In her directive, Briones urged school officials to validate the readiness of their schools and their respective compliance with the counterpart requirements for the project’s implementation.

She also recommended that regional and division offices organize orientation sessions with the contractor and the assigned civil society partners in their localities.

DepEd’s computerization program involves a citizens’ monitoring component with civil society organizations or citizens participating in governance (CPaGs) to bolster transparency and participation.

CPaGs will mobilize and deploy school- and communi- ty-based volunteers and other stakeholders to conduct social preparation activities, profile recipient schools, evaluate the schools’ readiness to accept the ICT packages, monitor the delivery and installation, assess the trainings and conduct user satisfaction surveys, according to Briones.

UNDP program manager Caroline Belisario urged parents and other stakeholders to participate in the program.

“Community volunteers, parents and local government units are helping us monitor the delivery of these ICT packages. They can ensure that these equipment will benefit their children,” she said.

“We urge everyone to monitor the delivery and installation because these are for your children,” Belisario added.