Public school in Valencia, Negros Oriental gets donation of computer units

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines —Valencia, as host of a geothermal power plant, maybe one of the richest towns in Negros Oriental province but many of its public school students are still illiterate on computers.

This was the situation that Smart Communications Inc had wanted to reverse. Last Tuesday, May 24, Smart's costumer contact subsidiary, I-Contacts Corporation (i-Con), donated 15 computers sets to Valencia Central Elementary School (VCES) in support of the Department of Education's Adopt-A-School-Program.

"This is such a big help for the school," said VCES principal Cecilio Topia during the turn-over ceremonies, adding that it was a timely deed because the school has plans to apply for a Level 2 Accreditation with the DepEd's Accreditation Program for Public Elementary Schools (APPES). One of the requirements for a school to obtain the accreditation is functioning computer units.

Topia, in thanking the donor, said it was the first time for the school's students to use computers. "Before, we just use pictures to teach our students about computers, now they can actually see and experience it for themselves," he said.

VCES became the first of the 20 public elementary schools in Valencia to own computers for their student's use, but all three high schools in this district already have theirs, said school district supervisor Bertila Eltanal.

Eltanal said the schools here, due to budgetary constraints, have been unable to provide computers to their students. "I am encouraging our school heads to use their initiative and resourcefulness in procuring computers," she said as she thanked Smart and i-Con for the donation that would make schoolchildren globally competitive and computer literate," she said.

Valencia Mayor Enrique Gonzalez, for his part, said that the most the local government could do at the moment would be to provide the facility that will house the computers. "This is a very big boost to our elementary school," said the mayor who is an alumnus of the school.

Lawyer Maria Jane Paredes, senior manager for Smart public affairs for Visayas and Mindanao, said her company is willing to extend more help to the school, with the possibility of including them in the Smart Schools Program Jr (SSP,Jr.).

When the school is already in the SSP Jr., it would be qualified to avail itself of the firm's many projects such as training and capability building for teachers, among others. "(The program) is not just about computer literacy and not just Internet, but it's also for reading skills," Paredes said.

Currently, Smart has already partnered with 290 secondary schools and 110 elementary schools nationwide, seven of which are in Negros Oriental.

In addition to the 15 computers for VCES, 15 more were also given to the West City Elementary School in Dumaguete City. (FREEMAN)