Computer literacy launched for poor

The Quezon City government launched last week a computer learning center to create awareness of the importance of computer literacy among the poor. Initiated by District I Councilor Bernadette "BH" Herrera in cooperation with the city government and the private sector. Barangay Bahay Toro SK Hall will provide the place for the computer center while Lexber, a property firm, will donate the hardware and the necessary facilities for the computer school.

AMA University will likewise provide the teaching staff to impart the necessary computer skills to the out-of-school-youth. AMA System and Lexber are privately-owned organizations that will showcase their corporate social responsibility by helping alleviate poverty in the country through computer education.

Herrera said that education is the anti-thesis of poverty. "Educate our people and you reduce to a proportionate degree the prevailing poverty level in this country," she said.

Studies show that the Philippines has the highest literacy rate in the world at about 93 percent. But this figure is deceiving since the cited percentage include only basic literacy and concealed a bigger problem. For functional literacy credit slid down to only 73 percent of the total population. A study also showed that the incidence of poverty dropped by three percent for every percentage increase in functional literacy.

"This is precisely the reason why the government of Quezon City, is concentrating its efforts in viable projects which bring about special skills and job training to the less privileged to assure them of immediate sources of income," Herrera said.