MANILA, Philippines - Aiming to improve science education in the Southern Philippines, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is donating electronic equipment, including laptops, to 60 public elementary schools in Mindanao.
Dr. Ester Ogena, director of the DOST’s Science Education Institute (SEI), said the distribution of the information and communication technology (ICT) packages is part of a three-year project dubbed “Mindanao Opportunities for Vitalized Education and Upgrading of Science” or MOVE UPS.
Ogena said the program aims to strengthen the capabilities of the 60 elementary feeder schools of the Philippine Science High School-Central Mindanao Campus (PSHS-CMC) in Balo-i, Lanao del Norte.
“We want more of our students in Mindanao to qualify in the PSHS and we can do it by giving them the appropriate basic education that would prepare them in entering a science high school,” she said.
Ogena said MOVE UPS is SEI’s strategy to provide a favorable learning environment in Muslim-dominated schools that would encourage and help students understand, appreciate and value the importance of science.
Lanao del Sur gets the largest share of ICT packages with 21 public elementary schools each getting a laptop computer, multimedia projector, software packages and other peripherals, Ogena said.
Ten public elementary schools each from Lanao del Norte, Shariff Kabunsuan and Maguindanao and nine from Marawi City will also be getting the same package.
Ogena said the project includes management training for teachers and principals, annual science camps, laboratory equipment support, development of aptitude tests and a handbook for parents and principals as well as a manual for the project; and support for library and reference materials.
Under the project, teachers would undergo training that would enhance their capabilities and competencies in teaching science, mathematics and English.
Principals would also be trained in effective and efficient administration and supervision of feeder schools in the first year of implementation, followed by an annual one-day conference.
Every summer, Ogena said science exhibits, quiz shows, math competitions, poster-making contests and presentation of researches and mathematical investigations would be conducted to lure students to venture into science and mathematics.
“An aptitude test will be developed to identify potential students for the PSHS-CMC,” she said.