eSkwela soon to open in Zamboanga City

Press Release posted on the PhilCeCNet website:

Out-of-School Youth and adults (OSYAs) in Zamboanga City can now earn a high school diploma through the eSkwela.

A project dedicated to providing ICT-enhanced educational opportunities for Filipino out-of-school youth and adults, eSkwela aims to help reduce the local digital divide and enhance the capacity of OSYAs to be successful participants in the global, knowledge-based economy.

The project is implemented by the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), to help address the problem of high dropout rates at the secondary school level.

Among the benefits of eSkwela compared to the traditional school is the blended type of learner-centered instruction where students will have an hour of computer-aided learning via interactive e-learning modules and an additional hour of teacher-led instruction as based on the current needs of learners.

The local eSkwela will be opened on September 24, 2008 and will be housed at the Community eCenter (CeC) of the NCC-Field Operations Office in Tumaga, Zamboanga City. The effort was made possible thru the partnership of the National Computer Center-Field Operations Office (NCC-FOO) and the regional division of DepEd - Alternative Learning System. Director Tess Camba of NCC-FOO, who championed the setting up of eSkwela in the city said that eventually more CeCs in the country will be eSkwela centers as well.

In addition to the provision of space requirements, NCC-FOO will also provide computer units, electricity and Internet connectivity, while DepEd will ensure the availability of mobile teachers and instructional managers as well as the selection of learner recipients.

Seventeen (17) teachers are currently undergoing a two-day training on Open Office. Thirty (30) out-of-school youth will also undergo a two-day training on basic computer usage and applications prior to their actual classes using the eSkwela modules.