GMA honors first batch of Global Filipino Teachers

CEBU CITY, Philippines — President Arroyo led the recognition rites of the first batch of Global Filipino Teachers (GFT), the Globe ICT training program for public school teachers.

Globe together with its partners, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Coalition for Better Education (CBE), recently gave 97 teachers from Central Visayas training workshop integrating information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching basic subjects like English, Science, Math, and HeKaSi.

In her speech, the President lauded the teachers for being the first graduates of Globe’s ICT training for teachers. “With this training, you, our global Filipino teachers will now be able to help our youth seize the value of education and modernity to lift up their lives and lift up our nation,” Arroyo said.

“In today’s world, a strong education must be accompanied by a strong backbone of technology. So, I thank Globe for helping us provide that backbone together with our other telecommunications companies,” Arroyo added.

“Through the GFT program, Globe strengthens its commitment to be the leader in ICT for education by providing public school teachers with the skills to enhance the learning experience of students in public schools all over the country,” said Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu.

GFT is an extensive six-day teacher training program that focuses on the proper use of ICT application for school-centered classroom activities. Done in partnership with the Department of Education and the Coalition for Better Education, GFT was first launched in Central Visayas, where the biggest concentration of schools under the Globe Internet in Schools Program (ISP) can be found.

Globe invited 100 ISP-connected schools from Bohol, Negros Oriental, Cebu Province and Metro Cebu to field in teachers for the GFT training held last November in Cebu and Bohol. From a total of 100 teachers, 97 were able to finish the course. The teachers who completed the GFT training automatically earned three units in a Masters Program should they decide to pursue higher education.

The GFT recognition ceremonies was held at the Cebu International Convention Center with President Arroyo, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus, and Globe president Cu leading the guests in the graduation ceremonies.

Other learning enrichment programs

Aside from GFT, Globe Bridging Communities (Globe BridgeCom) has embarked on other education programs that help enrich the learning experience of both students and teachers. These education initiatives include Text2Teach for elementary students, Internet-in-Schools Program (ISP) for high school students, Globe Labs Program for college students, and the GFT Program for teachers. These coupled with various other support initiatives for education such as grants, computer and book donations, and scholarships form part of the initiatives of Globe to make students and teachers globally competitive.

The Text2Teach program provides teachers with a cellphone downloaded with more than 380 educational videos in Science, Math, English and Values that teachers can use in class. Today, close to a million students from 282 public elementary schools in Quezon City, Manila, Isabela, Ilocos Sur, Batangas, Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, Antique, Cagayan de Oro City, Maguindanao, Cotabato City, North and South Cotabato, Sharif Kabunsuan, Isabela, Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Sur, Benguet and Pangasinan are able to use Text2Teach. The Text2Teach program is in partnership with Nokia, Ayala Foundation and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)-INNOTECH.

The ISP program on the other hand, provides one year free Globe Broadband internet access to schools all over the country. Since 2001, ISP has brought internet connectivity to some 950 schools nationwide.

Recently, Globe also launched its Globe Labs Program that aims to promote excellence in the field of information technology (IT) by providing IT college students access to new technologies that would enable them to develop mobile and internet applications to meet the communications needs of Filipinos.