Lapus says DepEd can still pursue CyberEd on a smaller scale

MANILA, Philippines – Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said the Department of Education (DepEd) could still pursue “cyber education” in public schools despite the recent order of President Arroyo to cut off the Chinese loan funding for their proposed P26.48-billion Cyber Education Project (CEP).

Lapus, however, said the department would have to scale down the project to make local funding easier or less demanding.

He pointed out that a smaller scale CEP could come in the form of their proposed P5-billion pilot test of the P26.48-billion CEP.

“It’s still doable if we do it through the planned P5-billion pilot test,” Lapus told The STAR.

“I think we can get local loan funding for that,” Lapus added.

However, he stressed that DepEd was still waiting for the viability review of the P26.48-billion CEP being conducted by a team of ICT (information communication technology) experts from the Ateneo de Manila University on whether to forge ahead with establishing cyber education in public schools.

With the order of Mrs. Arroyo to suspend overseas development assistance (ODA) loan funded projects, Lapus said the Ateneo review team would also have to consider the removal of the Chinese loan funding of the CEP in their study.

“It really still depends on the evaluation being done by the team from the Ateneo, if it will be favorable. The evaluation will still go on, they will just have to add a variable,” Lapus said.

The P26.48-billion CEP involves a bid by the DepEd to tap satellite technology to enable the broadcast of 20 to 30 minute lessons from “master teachers” in the core subjects of Math, English and Science to around 26,000 public schools, prioritizing those in far-flung areas.

The CEP would reportedly also provide Internet connectivity to the covered schools.

The CEP was supposed to have been funded by a concessional ODA loan from the People’s Republic of China.