Balanga public elementary schools will have their own broadband network

By Gilda V. LlamesThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Balanga, Bataan (19 February) -- Public elementary schools in Balanga will have their own version of the broadband network in line with the city government's objective of making every school in the area computer literate and interconnected for better and faster exchange of information.

As an initial step, Mayor Jose Enrique "Joet" Garcia distributed last December 20 a laptop each to Balanga's 16 public elementary schools. The computers were given out during the Christmas party of teachers and employees of the Department of Education (DepEd), according to Merlinda T. Tablan, principal of Cupang Elementary School, one of the beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, the provincial Management Information Service Office (MISO) of Bataan, headed by Geoffrey Loyola, has started conducting trainings on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for principals and heads of beneficiary schools.

After the training of the school heads, other teachers will likewise undergo similar trainings until the skill, knowledge and technology shall have been transferred ultimately to the students, Ms. Tablan stressed.

School learning action cells (SLAC) will be formed to facilitate training of beneficiaries within the school, Tablan said.

The City Division's website is at present being prepared by a core team composed of Annaliza Dispo, ICT coordinator of Balanga; Myla Capulong, planning officer of Balanga DepEd ;Lorna Guinto, education supervisor; Geoffrey Loyola of MISO and selected school heads.

The preparation of the respective school sites will follow once the division website is already in place, principal Tablan pointed out.

Tablan explained that "the fast pace of life nowadays requires that ICT be an essential component of education".

This, she added, calls for programs and projects that lead to the acquisition of knowledge and skills that update learners to the latest demand in ICT.