The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), in cooperation with the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) in Zamboanga City, conducted the deployment of computer equipment packages to four secondary schools in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) under the Commission’s iSchools Project in September 2009.

The project beneficiaries - Indanan National High School, Luuk National High School, Ungus Matata National High School and Tawi-Tawi School of Arts and Trade - received twenty-one sets of computers (composed of one server and twenty workstations), network related peripherals, and free Internet connection for one year.

The iSchools Project is a flagship program of the CICT in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) which aims to improve Philippine education through ICT and empower high school students to be globally competitive. Aside from the computer package, beneficiaries under the iSchools project will also undergo the Computer and Internet Literacy Course (CILC), where they will be taught the basic uses of the computer and Internet in teaching, lesson preparation, and record updates. Laboratory managers and technicians will also be provided with training relevant to the networking setup and concepts, software installation, and proper maintenance procedures.

In support of the government’s continued efforts in promoting ICT for community services, the CICT is also targeting the transformation of school computer laboratories into Community eCenters (CeCs) to further extend its services to other members of the community under the Philippine CeC Program.

The selection and evaluation of the iSchools beneficiaries is a joint undertaking between the DepEd and the CICT. Upon approval, the task of inspection and survey of the beneficiary site is given to the assigned State Universities and Colleges (SUC) in the different regions. WMSU heads the field operations for the iSchools project in Zamboanga Peninsula and the ARMM areas of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, under the supervision of Ms. Cielito Conti-Olegario, Head of Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering.

Based on set criteria, the SUC evaluates the school and forwards a list of qualified beneficiaries to the DepEd for final approval. Once approved, the beneficiary site is then prepared for deployment.

Through these installed facilities, the school heads look forward to an improvement in the teaching-learning experience of the teachers and students. Visit the iSchools website for more information.