People walk past the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) office on C.P. Garcia, Diliman, Quezon City in this file photo taken on February 5, 2020. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has launched the Digital Teachers and Learners Project to augment the learning capacities of students and teachers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Around 12,000 public school students, 500 teachers, and 13 schools in San Juan City will benefit from the pilot training program that will run from July 20 to 23.
The DICT, Department of Education, San Juan’s local government unit, and with the help of trainers from University of the Philippines-Diliman, Cisco Net Academy, Q Software Research Corporation, Google Philippines, and Habi Education Lab, will instruct San Juan teachers on using the software and navigate the government-issued learning devices.
“To ensure the safety of educators and learners amid the pandemic, alternative delivery modes such as online learning and teaching need to be maximized. Through the partnership between DICT, DepEd, San Juan City, and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) – we will see a better new normal for the Filipino children,” said DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II in a statement.
Honasan also stressed the importance to explore alternative learning methods as the COVID-19 crisis continues to pose a health risk to students and teachers.
San Juan City mayor Francis Zamora also said that digitalization is a key measure for education in the time of the pandemic.
“The digitalization becomes all the more significant as we face this pandemic and as we transition to the new normal because it offers our children a safer access to education,” said Zamora.