Globe ICT labs in island schools bring learning into 21st century

MANILA, Philippines - Known for its rich marine life, majestic thresher sharks, and powdery beaches, Malapascua Island in Cebu offers the ultimate escape from the urban jungle. While its isolated location is one of the lures for the thousands of tourists that flock to its shores every year, it is also the reason there is minimal modern infrastructure on the island.

Logon Elementary School, the only school offering the K to 12 program in the area, and Logon High School, the only secondary school here, are all too aware of the effects of this isolation. “We are now in the 21st century and we must accept the changes and learn from it,” says Rhovic Punay, ICT coordinator for Logon Elementary. “But it was difficult to find sources of funds for the improvement of our computer lab.”

Logon High School faced a similar situation. “Due to the limited number of computers, we find it hard to integrate technology with our lessons,” says Benjie Ano-os, OIC for the school. Besides hindering students from learning computer and Internet literacy, this lack of technology also meant teachers had limited access to the latest teaching materials and methodologies.

All this has changed for both Logon Elementary and High School. With Malapascua having been chosen as one of Globe Telecom’s communities of practice under its Corporate Social Responsibility program, the schools recently became beneficiaries of the company’s iAccess advocacy pillar. This pillar seeks to provide underserved communities access to quality education and social services. In keeping with this advocacy, Globe furnished both schools with computer labs, each consisting of an 11-user Multipoint System.

The schools have big plans for the computer labs, going so far as to open them to others in their community. Benjie says, “We hope to accommodate more students and extend the use of the labs to the out of school youth who wish to learn about computers.”

More than just a means to learn computer and Internet literacy, the establishment of computer labs signaled the start of the transformation of the learning environment in Malapascua Island.

The next step is for Globe to equip teachers with the know-how to fully maximize available resources through its Global Filipino Teachers Program. Having already benefited 262 teachers in 374 public schools nationwide, this program trains teachers on integrating ICT in the classroom and conducting project-based learning.

 In equipping teachers and students alike with the technology and training necessary to bring learning into the 21st century, Globe hopes to enable them to break ground for opportunities never before thought possible.