GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Bridging the digital divide is especially crucial in poor, rural Mindanao communities where lack of access to the Internet and computer literacy affects not just students, but their teachers as well.

Thanks to a training activity conducted jointly by USAID's Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program and Microsoft, teachers in areas of Mindanao affected by poverty and conflict are now better equipped to pass on information and communication technology (ICT) skills to a new generation of students.

The five-day Digital Literacy and ICT Integration training program held recently in General Santos City included 130 teacher-participants from South Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Tacurong City and North Cotabato, all of them with little or no background in computers.

The first training module covered basic computer maintenance and digital skills using the Internet and software such as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and Excel, while the second focused on integrating ICT into classroom teaching. The participants were provided with both small group and individualized instruction.

The eager participants found their newly-acquired skills exciting -- and liberating.

"We learned how to use Microsoft Excel for preparing grading lists and matrices," said Romel Gulac, IT Coordinator of Central National High School. "We no longer have to spend hours manually writing out test results on paper -- very helpful, especially in a big school like ours."

"Microsoft Learning Essentials provides exam templates, such as multiple-choice and true-or-false tests. This lessens our paper work load, enabling us to concentrate more on teaching," said Roden Sulatorio of South Cotabato's Punong Grande National High School.

Since 2002, the GEM Program has supported the Philippine government's efforts to improve digital literacy in Mindanao education by providing schools in conflict-affected areas with computers, software and Internet access, through its Computer Literacy and Internet Connection (CLIC) project.

Another GEM Program component, the Education Awareness Support Effort (EASE), matches peso-for-peso the funds put up by PTCAs to improve education services in their respective schools -- including setting up multimedia centers with computers for students.

The teachers trained in General Santos were all from CLIC and EASE partner schools.

"The deal is that these participants will each pass on the Microsoft training to five more teachers in their schools," said Sorayda Adiong, CLIC team leader.

"This will create a 'ripple effect' in transferring ICT skills and will enhance the value of the technology resources provided earlier by USAID through GEM," Adiong said. “These skills include troubleshooting and preventive maintenance, which will help prolong the life of the hardware.”

Since 2002, the GEM Program has worked closely with private sector partners on preparing young Mindanaoans to enter the 21st century workforce.

This training was the latest activity in a longstanding partnership between Microsoft and GEM, Adiong said.

"As partners we believe that opening up new avenues in ICT for both students and teachers in Mindanao will have a beneficial 'ripple effect' as well on their families and their communities," she added.