SMART Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Digitel Mobile Philippines, Inc. (DMPI) are collaborating with the GSM Association (GSMA) in pursuing initiatives to propagate mEducation or the use of mobile technologies in education, particularly in underserved areas or places with limited connectivity.
Both Smart and Sun Cellular are participants in the upcoming one-and-a-half day workshop on Sept. 24-25 organized by the GSMA in Manila that hopes to open new commercial opportunities for mEducation that will enable 21st century learning and teaching opportunities, with the Philippines becoming an example to be followed by the rest of the world.
Association
The GSMA is the worldwide association of mobile operators and related companies devoted to supporting the standardizing, deployment and promotion of the GSM mobile telephone system.
“Smart is proud to partner with GSMA in this worthy undertaking that aims to democratize access to quality education with the use of mobile technologies. With our years of successful programs integrating mobile and Internet technologies in education, this is a welcome and exciting collaboration,” said Smart president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno.
“Millions of Filipinos do not have access to formal education and the mobile platform has the potential to bridge this gap using technology-enabled solutions. This collaboration will allow Sun to be able to contribute in opening up opportunities for mobile in education as well as social development in general,” said DMPI president and CEO Orlando Vea.
The partnership “couldn’t have been timelier” as the 2015 deadline of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) draws near, the companies said. One of the eight MDGs is universal access to primary education.
In the Philippines, the Department of Education (DepEd) has aligned its initiatives in line with its continuing thrust to make education universal and inclusive of all learners under its Education for All (EFA) 2015 target.
Opportunities
In previous statements, GSMA acknowledged that mobile is uniquely positioned to help facilitate education opportunities otherwise inaccessible in a country with numerous islands. During the workshop, GSMA will present global evidence, insight, and future possibilities in the area of mEducation.
The DepEd and the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (Tesda) will also be joining the workshop to provide information on the Philippine education landscape—the challenges, needs and areas where mEducation initiatives might contribute.
A multi-party cooperation agreement will be signed among the various stakeholders, including Smart and DMPI, for the development of mobile solutions, strategies, products and services that will benefit Filipino learners and communities.
An on-site demonstration will also be held for GSMA in Cebu on Smart’s mEducation initiative.
Mobile tools
“A strong advocate for education and a pioneer in mEducation, Smart has been using mobile and Internet technologies as a tool to enhance Philippine education from primary, high school to college levels for the past 10 years,” the company said.
These interventions include providing access, connectivity and training to teachers and students through the Smart Schools Program, giving elementary and high school students the digital platform with which to tell unique stories about their hometowns through Doon Po Sa Amin Challenge; trainings on online journalism for both high school and college students with journ.ph; scholarship grants as well as innovation and excellence awards via the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program; digitizing content for alternative learning through the Mobile Teacher App; collaborating with the University of the Philippines Open University for massive online open course offerings, testing new approaches such as repurposing old SIM cards and mobile phones in classroom exercises and the use of a non-traditional teaching framework to address shortage of qualified teachers in Science, Technology, English and Mathematics enabled by mobile technologies with the Dynamic Learning Program. (PR)