Text2Teach program expands to Sulu

MANILA, Philippines - Innovative mobile learning program Text2Teach, which is being powered by Globe Telecom, has expanded its operations to the far-flung province of Sulu in an attempt to improve the learning abilities of students in the province.

Text2Teach will initially cover 10 of 23 public elementary schools in Patikul, Sulu which have a total student and teacher population of 9,914 and 219, respectively.

The current educational landscape of Sulu is highlighted by a high dropout rate of students, even reaching 50 percent by the end of primary schooling as a result of the low value given by parents and students to education.

The Text2Teach alliance — composed of Nokia, Globe Telecom, Ayala Foundation Inc., Pearson Foundation, Toshiba, and the Department of Education — selected Patikul in view of the lack of core teaching resources such as textbooks and regular teaching training in the local schools which further adds to low quality learning in the classroom and the significant dropout rates.

“We want to address the lack of appeal of education in the community by providing an abundant supply of teaching resources through the Text2Teach videos. We also believe that the Text2Teach training program can boost teacher morale and enhance the learning environment in the classroom, as teachers will be equipped with new ways of maximizing classroom engagements. In the end, the success of the project should be reflected in a significant decrease in drop-outs,” said Maria Lourdes Heras-De Leon, president of Ayala Foundation Inc.

“Text2Teach shows how mobile technology can be used in various ways, not only to call, text, and browse the Internet but also to enhance the educational experiences of the students. Through the Text2Teach alliance, we at the private sector together with our public sector counterpart, are able to work hand-in-hand in harnessing this technology to give our underprivileged students a chance to gain access to the kind of education that other children around the world are enjoying,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe senior vice president for corporate communications.

Conceptualized in the United States and piloted in the Philippines in 2003, Text2Teach provides teachers with a highly effective visual aid, creating an interactive, student-focused learning environment in the classroom.

Videos on math, science, English, and values education are downloaded from a smartphone using Globe Telecom’s network and are watched using 29-inch television sets provided by the project.

The lesson plans that come with the teachers’ guides are fully integrated into the basic education curriculum and created to meet local education guidelines and standards.

To date, Text2Teach has been deployed in 816 public elementary schools, and has served 309,672 students and trained 2,617 teachers across 14 provinces, 15 cities, and 26 municipalities.