Press Release
March 26, 2008

ANGARA SEEKS TO INCREASE ICT AWARENESS AMONG STUDENTS

In a bid to create a culture of Science and Innovation in the country, Senator Edgardo J. Angara has filed a bill seeking to promote functional computer literacy in all schools, at the earliest possible stage.

"In our country's strides to regain lost economic grounds, our people need to be attuned to the latest developments in science and technology. The Filipino youth must be scientifically and technically prepared so that their innate talents may be fully harnessed for national development," Angara said.

Angara called for the creation of a Board on Computer Education that will facilitate the integration of the basics of computer application and programming in the school curriculum.

The Board on Computer Education will be tasked to provide for the necessary training of the personnel of computer schools, prepare the curriculum for computer-aided logic, math and science education in elementary level, monitor the performance of the computer schools, and evaluate the abilities of the students.

In the proposed measure, a voucher system is institutionalized with respect to the country's nine poorest provinces to make these provinces at par with the rest of the country in terms of computer literacy.

"Each province will be given P5 million each year from the annual budget allocated for the implementation of the specialized computer education program," he said.

Students in these provinces who have finished high school shall be allowed to take competitive aptitude examination in specialized computer education. Those who will passed will be given a voucher worth P5,000 each to enroll in a computer school to finish advanced and specialized computer courses such as advanced programming, computer-aided design, hardware design, and networking.

"This bill is intended to prepare the Filipino youth to meet the technological challenges of the country," he stressed.

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