XO laptops for children in Cainta and Antipolo

MANILA, Philippines - As the country strives to move up in the value chain of the global economy, our grassroots education should be upgraded to include advancements in the digital world.

The Kiwanis Club of Antipolo West realizes the need of our children to embrace the digital world of education and communication, and will launch this year a project known as the “Kiwanis Child Computer Literacy Program” using the XO Laptop designed by Nicolas Negroponte of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. The project, supported by CHILD Foundation OLPC Philippines, will be pilot tested from January to March 2012 in Antipolo City and Cainta, Rizal public schools.

The XO Laptop is ideal for children, even those with zero knowledge of computers. It is being used by children in developing countries like Haiti, Poland, Mexico, Pakistan, and Spain, for various purposes to include cultural games, to raise awareness for kids on the importance of cultural understanding, language and communication enhancement program, among others. Its operating system, images, symbols, graphics, etc. are simple and easy to understand, and the appearance of the computer is quite attractive for kids from nine to 12 years old. It is also very sturdy.

In addition the XO Laptop encourages class participation and topic discussion, thereby resulting in competitive skills development of children in and out of the classroom.

The project aims to provide basic computer literacy education to selected pupils in the marginalized sector of our society in the hope of augmenting their basic knowledge in primary education, particularly in the areas of writing, reading and comprehension, mathematical computation, games and artwork and online Internet research. It will focus on the additional skills acquired by the pupils on computers throughout the program.

Two assessment tests will be conducted before and after the roll out of the program to evaluate the impact of the training. This child computer literacy program will not interfere with the basic curriculum designed for primary education using traditional methods of teaching required by the Department of Education.

The Kiwanis Club of Antipolo West is composed of 23 members and headed by incumbent president Armand Adame and project chairman Willie Pertubal.

Kiwanis International is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child, one community at a time.

CHILD Foundation OLPC Philippines, on the other hand, is composed of volunteers, mainly young professionals like doctors, nurses, architects, engineers who donate their time and talent to teach young children, particularly the less privileged. It is headed by chairman Charles Antonio Chen and executive director Gabriel Pertubal.