24 Cebu high schools to continue receiving computers

Saturday, July 16, 2011

AT LEAST 24 public high schools in Cebu will continue to benefit from a project that gives free computers even though its implementing agency has been dissolved by President Benigno Aquino III.

Although some recipient schools have not yet been fully-equipped, the iSchools Project -- the government's massive information and communications technology program set to end by December -- is doing its best to bring these smart classrooms online, officials said.

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The iSchools Project, which installs wireless computer laboratories in public high schools, is subsumed under the Commission of Information and Communications Technology (CICT), which has been dissolved after the Palace released Executive Order 47.

The order called for the formation of ICT Office last June 30, seeking a "leaner, meaner planning and management" of government ICT resources.

Based on data collated by Sun.Star, partner public high schools in Cebu as of 2007 are as follows: Naga National High School in (Naga City), Beatriz Durano National High School (Danao City), Consolacion Night High School-Extension (Consolacion Cebu), Talaga National High School (Argao Cebu), Sabang National High School (Danao City), Ubaldo Iway Memorial National High School (Danao City), and Mandilikit National High School (Argao).

Others that made the cut are Cebu Normal University (Cebu City), Lamac National High School (Pinamungahan, Cebu), Ocaña National High School, Valladolid National High School Extension (Carcar, Cebu), Guinsay National High School (Danao City), Gelacio Babao Sr. National High School (Carcar, Cebu), Magdugo National High School (Toledo City), and Mantalongon National High School (Barili, Cebu).

There are 48,505 high school students in Cebu City for school year 2011-2012, while neighboring Lapu-Lapu City had 22,000 enrollees, separate reports from Sun.Star Cebu show.

"As for the 2009 fund recipients, we are not yet done with the training, some don't have Internet connection due to absence of coverage from major telecommunication companies, our monitoring team is also about to start there," Antonette Torres, iSchools Project manager, told Sun.Star.

However, these problems are also encountered by schools outside of Cebu.

Other far-flung schools have to contend with lack of Internet connectivity or expensive services from net providers, Torres said.

Computer laboratories have a guaranteed one-year Internet subscription and some of them were sponsored by telcos Smart, Globe and Bayantel.

Sun.Star tried to get a list of these problematic recipients but the iSchools website only posted a status report covering years 2005, 2006, and 2007.

iSchools, which started six years ago, also had problems with "traditional school administrators and teachers" that refused to adopt the technology, according to Torres.

Conflicting views with the Department of Education (DepEd) on the use of open-source software also pose a challenge to the program as the department mulled teaching a Microsoft-based computer curriculum.

Open-source solutions normally give customers the flexibility to freely use software without fear of vendor lock-in.

All iSchools nationwide are given 19 desktop computers, projector, printer, server and a laptop, all running Edubuntu, a derivative of Ubuntu operating system designed for use in classrooms inside schools, homes and communities.

"DepEd's policy on leaning towards the use of Microsoft conflicts the advocacy on the use of open-source, it should have save a lot of taxpayers' money, iSchools alone save a minimum of P42 million (due to free software cost)," Torres said, adding they have been urging DepEd to adopt open-source technology since 2006.

iSchools said recipients were chosen from a list of qualified schools, where site inspectors coming from partner state universities and colleges (SUCs) determine the viability of a school to house a computer laboratory.

Candidate schools are also screened based on their capability to integrate ICT in the curriculum. There are over 1,000 iSchools nationwide. (Sunnex)