Victorias City joins PDI’s INQskwela to enhance students’ basic education

(From left to right) Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) Senior Business Development Officer Akiko Quijano, Victorias Superintendent of Schools Portia Mallorca, Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, PDI national sales manager Roy Raul Mendiola, and Councilor Derek Palanca pose for a photo after signing the memorandum of agreement for the INQskwela program. (CARLA GOMEZ / INQUIRER VISAYAS)

VICTORIAS CITY — This city in Negros Occidental became the first in the Visayas and the fourth in the country to join Philippine Daily Inquirer’s INQskwela.

Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said the program will help students develop their love for reading and knowledge through a digital platform.

“What a better way to present it in a very modern fashion through digital subscription service. This is the way moving forward,” he said on Tuesday.

INQskwela is intended to enhance the quality of basic education through reading comprehension, critical thinking, news literacy, and knowledge of current events among students and faculty members.

“We’re very excited about this project. This is a way of improving reading literacy for our learners,” said Benitez, adding that the heads of all the 28 participating schools were present for the event.

Benitez; Councilor Derek Palanca, the city’s committee on education chairperson; Victorias Superintendent of Schools Portia Mallorca; and Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) national sales manager Roy Raul Mendiola signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) at the Victorias City Hall on Tuesday, June 6.

Also present was PDI Senior Business Development Officer Akiko Quijano.

Under the MOA, students in the 28 public schools of Victorias City will be provided with daily digital access to Inquirer Plus, which includes the digital edition of PDI and more for one school year.

Benitez said the city government has purchased laptops for teachers and a tablet for every five classroom learners.

“(Inquirer Plus will be) one of the contenta that we will use to enhance and improve reading for our learners. I am sure this will have a positive impact and effect on our learners,” he said.

Benitez expressed hopes that the program would help learners decide which items online deserve their attention and time.

“What is missing in our social media platforms is to have a gatekeeper to facilitate news that is worthy for us to read. That is what INQskwela is doing,” he said.

Mendiola thanked Benitez for sponsoring the Inquirer Plus subscriptions of the 28 schools and for joining INQskwela.

The MOA stated that part of the INQskwela program are inter-school quiz and debate tournaments.

“With an easier access to a newspaper, the hope is that students would discover or further develop their love of reading and knowledge of current events. The newspapers will also serve as learning aids for teachers in class as this is incorporated in their lesson plan,” it said.

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