TECHNOLOGY FOR EDUCATION. Beatrice Quimson, Information and Communication Technology deputy executive director announces the launching of its cyber-education hubs here with the Internet Café Association of Davao (ICAD). (Ace R. Morandante/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY — The Information and Communication Technology office (ICT) of Department of Science and Technology (DOST) launched its cyber-education hubs with the Internet Cafe Association of Davao (ICAD).
Beatrice Quimson, ICT deputy executive director said that the project, called Technology for Economic Development or Tech4ED, is a program for the public especially call center agents, out of school youth and other sectors who want to learn and work online.
The learning process would be coursed through the cyber education centers which will be made available in internet cafes here in the city.
ICT said that the Tech4ED project provides access points for individuals and communities to bridge the digital and education divide, promote grassroots development and opportunities for inclusive growth and poverty reduction.
The ICT unit said the program also gives the community access to information, communication, technology, government services, non-formal education, skills training, telehealth, job markets, and business portals.
Quimson said that the ICT has been working on the project with the ICAD since 2015.
“This is the first time we are engaging with a business like Internet shop, that is why it took us quite sometime to craft a good Memorandum of Agreement (MoA),” Quimson said.
She said that Davao City internet shops will pilot the Tech4ED project.
“We will be able to study this here in Davao and roll this in other areas, we will now have a learning-English application for the Filipinos,” Quimson said.
As of now, there are 194 cyber education centers and 7,000 users of the Tech4ED project.
Alexis Bangayan, ICAD president said that the partnership with the DOST-ICT called the partnership a “brilliant idea” since the internet shops here in the city are “most effective way” to easily access the Tech4ED project.
“The internet shops will be the one to facilitate the people, it will be one of the cyber education centers of Tech4ED of ICT,” Bangayan said.
As of now, Bangayan said that there are 36 registered internet shops that subscribed to the project.
He said that these internet shops are located at Toril, Bangkal, Matina, Mintal, Sasa area, Cabantian and here in the downtown areas.
“The managers of the 36 internet shops were already trained to facilitate by the ICT,” Bangayan said.
Public-private partnership
Quimson clarified that ICT is giving the project for free but since they are in partnership with the private sector, then ICT allows them to charge a minimal sum.
“The people will expect a sustainability model, internet shops would be charging for the use of the computer, electricity and the payment to the person managing,” Quimson said.
Bangayan said some internet shops charge P8 per hour for the facilities used in the shop.
She said that DOST-ICT is beyond the charges of the private sector.
“This is already affordable if we based it in our market today, this is the advantage of the partnership of ICT and ICAD,” Bangayan said.
As of this time, Quimson said that the ICT have not yet opened the project to individuals because there is a certain process that needs to be done.
“It is not yet open to the individuals because we want to make sure it has been utilized properly and for the right purposes so that it will not be abused,” Quimson said.
Aside from internet shops, Quimson said that other cyber education hubs are libraries, local government unit (LGU) setting up in barangays, non-governmental organization (NGO) and Department of Education’s (DepEd) computer laboratories.
Bangayan also invited other internet shops in the city to join the association to disseminate the existence of the Tech4ED project to the people.(davaotoday.com)
