Microsoft, DepEd pursuing team-up

The teamwork between Microsoft Philippines Inc., university organizations and the Department of Education (DepEd) continues as these agencies and institutions work to improve the Philippine educational system.

A pledge was made during the recent launch of the Microsoft Varsity Program (MS Varsity) held at the Microsoft Phils. Inc. office in Makati City.

Microsoft Phils. has an ongoing partnership with the DepEd and non-profit organization Learn.ph to implement its Partners in Learning (PiL) program to train public school teachers to integrate information and communications technology in teaching.

MS Varsity is a multiphase endeavor that aims to create student ambassadors who will later become educators and trainers in various schools that need their assistance.

"The program also seeks to foster learning and self-development through the integration of ICT in education," Microsoft said in a statement.

"There is an urgent and glaring need to improve, appreciate and embrace learning with the incorporation of technology," DepEd Bureau of Secondary Education senior education program specialist Jess Huenda said. "The best kind of learning is only achieved with the proper tools and the support to learn through technology."

The initial stage of the program will be implemented by tapping 75 outstanding university and college organizations within the National Capital Region (NCR) to be part of the program.

These schools will be represented by one ambassador to the team. Industry practitioners will train these would-be envoys to gain knowledge in three aspects: technical, business management and education.

"Microsoft Phils. advocates cross-discipline learning — this is why we are integrating three different tracks in this program. Microsoft Varsity seeks to develop ambassadors as advocates of goodwill through teaching and helping people discover their own potential," Microsoft Philippines’ Director for Academic Affairs Sam Jacoba said.

In the second phase of the Microsoft Varsity program, members will be molded to become student ambassadors of goodwill.

During this stage of the program, the students will be trained to "cascade" or pass on their knowledge to students in other institutions in the most efficient and successful manner.

When the ambassadors progress to the third and final phase, they become part of the PiL program, a global Microsoft initiative that aims to enable a worldwide community of "lifelong learners" — both teachers and students — to realize their full potential through technology.

"Microsoft Varsity is not only a way of developing our country’s future leaders to be ambassadors. We are also providing them with an ideal setting where they can interact with their fellow students from other schools and organizations. This is a chance for them to learn best practices and actual experiences from the other participating organizations," said JV Wong, who is Microsoft Varsity program leader and the president and trainer of People Ignite Organizational Development and Training Inc., one of the implementing partners in this program.

The core of the program has three mantras: ambassadorship, outreach and innovation. MS Varsity’s legacy will be the development of student ambassadors who have the passion to share their skills and knowledge with other students who will best benefit from the transfer of knowledge.

The program’s objectives will be fulfilled when the ambassadors’ training is cascaded through their outreach initiatives. Finally, the program also recognizes the value of education that makes full and effective use of technology.

Microsoft Phils. has invested a significant amount of time, funding and resources to implement various educational initiatives that are aligned with its vision of contributing to the overall improvement of the Philippine academic community by empowering citizens and taking the lead in forming projects that support the growth of the community. — Sandy Araneta