FOR THE STUDENTS | At the June 6, 2023, INQskwela MOA signing, from left: Victorias City Superintendent of Schools Portia Mallorca, Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, PDI national sales manager Roy Raul Mendiola, and Councilor Derek Palanca (Photo by CARLA GOMEZ / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
VICTORIAS CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines — The Inquirer Foundation’s initiative for the youth and education sector has come to this Negros Occidental city, the first local government in the Visayas and the fourth in the country to sign up as an INQskwela partner.
“This is the way moving forward,” Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said on June 6 as he formalized the partnership with the foundation and the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI).
Under a memorandum of agreement (MOA), students in 28 public schools of Victorias City will be provided access to Inquirer Plus, the app containing the digital replica of the newspaper, for an entire school year.
“[Inquirer Plus will be] among the content we will use to enhance the reading skills of our learners. I am sure this will have a positive impact,” Benitez said. “What is missing in our social media platforms is a gatekeeper that can facilitate newsworthy for us to read. That is what INQskwela is doing.”
Media literacy
Launched in 2019, INQskwela seeks to offer the paper as a supplemental educational material that teachers can use to develop their students’ reading skills, critical thinking, media literacy, and general grasp of public affairs and current events.
The project started with four Metro Manila schools as partners that year, namely Fort Bonifacio High School in Makati, Ramon Magsaysay High School in Manila, CAA Elementary School-Main in Las Piñas City, and Batasan Hills National High School in Quezon City.
In 2022, after taking a pause due to the pandemic, the project expanded as it found a local government partner in Valenzuela City (26 schools), followed by San Manuel, Tarlac (17 schools), and Manila (20 schools) early this year.
For the June 6 MOA signing held at Victorias City Hall, PDI was represented by national sales manager Roy Raul Mendiola, with PDI senior business development officer Akiko Quijano also present.
Together with the mayor, also signing for the host local government were Councilor Derek Palanca, chair of the committee on education; and Victorias City Superintendent of Schools Portia Mallorca. The heads of the 28 participating schools were likewise in attendance.
“With easier access to the newspaper, it is hoped that the students would further develop their love of reading and interest in current events,” said Mendiola as he thanked Benitez and Victorias City for the partnership.