97 schools in Central Visayas to get computers from DTI

Ninety-seven schools in Central Visayas will receive 10 computers each from the Department of Trade and Industry in response to the need to be competitive in the field of Information Technology.

DTI regional director Asteria Caberte, in a press release, said that to meet the demands of the global market, a competitive Information Technology starting with the young is very much needed.

The computers that are to be distributed to the schools form part of DTI's Personal Computers for Public Schools Project, phase III, under the non-project grant of the Official Development Assistance.

Under phase 3 of the PCPS project, Caberte said, 1,200 public high schools nationwide will receive the 12,000 computers.

Forty-three schools in Cebu province, 27 in Bohol, 22 in Oriental Negros and five public high schools in Siquijor were listed as beneficiaries of the 10 computers each complete with peripheral devices and Local Area Network connections.

The Department of Education will provide training for teachers, while the testing of software and units will be handled by the Department of Science and Technology.

During the orientation workshop, Caberte said Lydia Guevarra of the Office of Special Concerns at DTI and DepEd Information and Communications Technology chairman Jesus Huenda came as speakers.

The PCPS project was initiated by then DTI Secretary Mar Roxas and replicated under the stewardship of DTI Secretary Peter Favila because of its success.

There were already 32,240 computers distributed to 2,228 public high schools nationwide - 1,167 schools in Luzon, 569 schools in the Visayas and 492 schools in Mindanao. - Ferliza C. Contratista