Unsung Heroes of the 2010 Elections

With the conduct of the recent national elections, the general public has attributed its success to the reliability of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines provided by Smartmatic.

However, we tend to lose focus on the less dramatic – the unsung heroes of this May 2010 elections – the public high schools teachers, who by their tireless effort and proficiency in ICT, have been able shape the democratic exercise we all love and cherish.

Over the course of its three implementation cycles, the iSchools Project has distributed 14,280 computer units in 680 internet laboratories nationwide. By the end of August 2010, the 1,000th public high school would have received the same facilities.

The hallmark of the Project has always been the set of training activities accompanying the internet laboratory. The training ensures the sustainability of the laboratory in a three-fold manner, by getting the school community involved in the laboratory’s physical upkeep; by ensuring a cadre of ICT lab managers responsible for the technical upkeep; and by empowering teachers who integrate ICT in their daily tasks of lesson delivery and school management.

The iSchools Project has a unique set of training activities that cannot be found anywhere else. Each public high school is ensured to receive the following courses:

• Computer and Internet Literacy Course (CILC) as an introductory course to ICT-for-education purposes
• Laboratory Management and Web Development for its lab managers
• Library Management for the schools’ librarians
• Sustainability Planning Workshop (SPW) to develop a sense of community ownership and responsibility for the laboratory’s continued upkeep

To date, the iSchools Project would have delivered the training to over 6,000 public high school teachers nationwide. Now beyond the chalkboard, teachers have come to appreciate ICT as a tool that empowers.

By continually enhancing the ICT awareness, appreciation and competency of public high school teachers nationwide, the iSchools Project would have done its share in ensuring that even the next automated elections would be an even more efficient democratic exercise worthy of the Filipinos’ trust.

The iSchools Project is one of the flagship projects of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) under the ICT4BE Program. Recognized at the 3rd Government Technology Awards in Bali, Indonesia, the project aims to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education. With an annual budget of P350 million, it has provided training modules and increased ICT access in public high schools, making it the most comprehensive initiative of its kind in the Philippines.