Tarlac classrooms go high-tech

TARLAC CITY — In line with its vision of empowering Tarlac’s youth and equip them with skills necessary for facing the challenges of an emerging economic hub, the Tarlac provincial government has chosen to incorporate Inter-media educational television as a teaching tool in its public elementary and high schools.

With the emerging requirements of the province for a competent labor force in anticipation of an industrial and commercial boom in the next two to five years, the province has chosen to intensify its efforts to improve the quality of its human resources.

The project aims to provide combined conventional and modern ways of teaching.

The basic idea is to provide each classroom with the appropriate technology for interactive learning. Private institutions are also working closely with the local government, especially in the area of funding.

The actual set-up will include a computer (main server) to be situated at the administration building of the school, six separate computers for each grade level and a television which will broadcast the lesson for the day.

Each computer can be independently controlled depending on how fast the students in each class can learn. The computers for the different grade levels are backed up by the main server which also serves as the "library" of all the lessons to be taught.  

The Department of Education will be in charge of the materials to be used for the program. A successful test run was already conducted at the Special Projects Office under the direction of the Victor Yap, an executive assistant at the Office of the Governor.