Public schools in Mountain Province ascend new road to learning

MANILA, Philippines - The popular lines There ain’t no mountain high enough… To keep me from getting to you from a ’60s hit song holds true for the landlocked Mountain Province.

Thanks to the advent of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), this quaint little corner of Luzon has been brought closer to the rest of the globe.

By bringing ICT to seven public schools in Mountain Province, Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART), through its Smart Schools Program (SSP), is able to widen the horizon of both teachers and students.

In time for the opening of the new academic year, Sabangan National High School, Banao National High School and Guinza-dan National High School, and four elementary schools - Bontoc Central School, Data Elementary School, Bun-ayan Labbay Elementary School and Sabangan Central School were officially welcomed into the fold of the Smart Schools family.

Integrating ICT in education

The seven new partner schools in Mountain Province recognize the importance of keeping abreast with technological developments in this age of globalization. “We have come to a point when and where being in sync with the advancement of technology is by far the most essential key to be effective and successful in our lives, careers, endeavors and even in education,” says Joel Francis Licayo, principal of Data Elementary School.

Together with three existing partner schools, namely Mountain Province General Comprehensive High School (MPGC HS), Sagada National High School and Sagada Central School, Mountain Province currently has 10 Smart Schools partners, the most in any other province in the country.

The inauguration was held last May 27 at the Sabangan National High School with no less than Sabangan’s municipal mayor, Donato Danglose, gracing the ceremonies.

The Smart Schools Program, launched in 2004, aims to help revolutionize the education system in the country by integrating ICT in basic education. Presently, there are 180 secondary partner schools and 70 elementary partner schools.

Under the program, partner schools are provided free unlimited Internet access for an entire year by Smart Bro, the wireless broadband service of Smart subsidiary Smart Broadband Inc. Computer laboratories of partner schools are also converted into Teacher Learning Resource Centers (TLRC) complete with networked computer units, webcams, printers, copiers, scanners, routers and switch hubs.

Furthermore, pertinent online content such as educational materials, newsletters and updates are available on the program website www.smartschools .ph for the perusal of students and teachers. Web-sites of partner schools are likewise hosted on the program site for free.

Schools as content generators

Through the program and school websites, SMART hopes that students and teachers will not only be mere users of online content, but also generators of local content as well. Last year, the company initiated the online project Doon Po Sa Amin to encourage the schools to share what is unique about their hometowns.

Believing that educators hold the key to the successful implementation of the project, the program also conducts ICT-related trainings for teachers. “It’s important that teachers are empowered and informed to make use of these available resources (the Inter-net). To do this, the program is investing heavily on providing training for teachers that range from basic computer literacy to a graduate course on Instructional Media and Design,” states Engr. Erwin Nery, SMART senior supervisor for the Network and Platforms Services Division. To date, more than 9,000 teachers have already been trained under the program.

Teacher empowerment

To further empower teachers, SMART launched Smart Mentors. It is a specialized training and development program for select teachers from SSP partner schools. The 11-month scholarship program is geared towards training the teachers to utilize ICT in enhancing the learning environment and improving teaching strategies.

Last April, after successfully completing the requirements for the program, the first batch of 20 Smart mentors earned their Master of Arts degree in Education major in Instructional Media and Design.

Among them are Irene Bakisan, the Division ICT coordinator, and Virginia Batan, head teacher of the English department of MPGCHS, who are now actively spearheading a mentoring program in Mountain Province.

Together, the two Smart mentors have already conducted formal and informal trainings on basic computer literacy, basic ICT, troubleshooting and computer-aided instruction in their division and are planning to facilitate more sessions in the near future.

“We want all teachers in Mountain Province to be ICT literate within two years so that we’ll be able to maximize the use of ICT. We have just finished the computer troubleshooting training and the computer-aided instruction preparation for the computer-aided materials,” reveals Bakisan.

Equally important as training their co-teachers, is the personal growth experienced by the mentors. As Batan aptly puts it, “Smart Mentors has played a big role in getting me to where I am now. It has helped me gain confidence, taught me humility and understanding. It taught me the best strategies in reaching out to people.”

With the dedication and determination of the two Smart mentors, their colleagues and the entire community, Smart is confident of the success of the program in its seven new partner institutions. “Seeing our partners here — I am optimistic,” opines Nery.