DTI gives PCs to four schools

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Trade and Industry in partnership with the Department of Education turned over 11 sets of computers to four schools in Mandaue City, including Mandaue City Science High School, Maguikay National High School, Casili National High School, and the Mandaue SPED Center High School.

The four Mandaue schools became recipients under the "Personal Computers for Public Schools" project that also gave away computers to 44 other schools in Cebu province.

The project aims to provide modern computer sets, printers, software bundles and internet access to public schools nationwide.

The project was conceived to address the lack of facilities in public schools across the country.

Many schools often have less than 30 computers that are being shared by 4,000 students.

DTI Secretary Gregory Domingo himself was in Cebu recently to lead the launch of Phase 4 of the PCPS Project.

The project is being implemented through the generosity of the Japanese government in cooperation with DepEd, local government units, House of Representatives and private sector donors.

Domingo said that the Philippines' competitive advantage in the IT services is now widely recognized and the country is currently the second largest producer of computer services in Asia, aside from being an emerging most preferred destination for BPO services.

"The PCPS Project was designed to maintain this competitive edge. It incorporates IT in the basic levels of education by providing computers to public high schools. This will help our young people, particularly high school students, for high-value jobs of the future, for them to participate fully in the Knowledge economy," Domingo said in his speech.

Domingo said the government of Japan has poured in a total of P1.8 billion for PCPS Phases 1, 2 and 3 and an additional P320 million with the approval of PCPS Phase 4 for the provision of computer package to 775 public schools in Luzon and Visayas.

He said the PCPS project has successfully reduced computer backlog in the public secondary education from 75 percent in 2001, when the project started, to 37 percent after PCPS Phase 3.

Through the project, more than a million students have experienced hands-on training with computers.

"We at DTI are promoting IT education not only to improve learning, but to ensure economic growth in pursuit of generating more employment and higher income," the trade secretary said. /JMO (FREEMAN)