Ayala Foundation, ULAP forge agreement on ‘Text2Teach’ program

MANILA, Philippines - The Ayala Foundation Inc. has forged an agreement with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) for the implementation of its mobile learning program ‘Text2Teach’ in various public elementary schools nationwide.

Text2Teach allows teachers to download and choose educational videos on math, science, English and values specifically created for the project.

Ayala Foundation, Inc. president Luli Heras-de Leon said the project provides a highly effective visual aid for teachers and creates an interactive, student-focused learning environment in the classroom.

“There are today 11 countries all over the world that actually have a Text2Teach program under a mother program called Bridged IT. And the Philippines is one country that is a model country cited by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as among the best practices for mobile technology in education,” Heras-de Leon said.

“So if we can mainstream this and make it happen to all of our public elementary schools, that would be a dream come true,” she said.

The project was conceptualized in 2002 by Nokia, Pearson, the United Nations Development Program and the International Youth Foundation.

It was being implemented by Nokia, Globe Telecom, the Department of Education, Pearson Foundation and Ayala Foundation in the Philippines since 2003, covering 736 public schools nationwide.

Under the partnership, interested local government units will share the cost of implementing the program at P46,000 per public school, covering 38 percent of the actual project cost. The Text2Teach program will shoulder P74,000 or 62 percent of the remaining project cost.