GILAS Connecting Our Youth to the World Wide Web Oscar Sañez 6 September 2006

Information Poverty Increasing categories of day to day activities are becoming exclusively Internet accessible Government Services and T ransactions

Information Poverty Increasing categories of day to day activities are becoming exclusively Internet accessible Government Services and Transactions Consumer Purchases and Commercial Transactions

Information Poverty Increasing categories of day to day activities are becoming exclusively Internet accessible Government Services and Transactions Consumer Purchases Online Education Programs and Resources

Information Poverty Increasing categories of day to day activities are becoming EXCLUSIVELY Internet accessible only Government Services and Transactions Consumer Purchases Online Education Programs and Resources Communication Music Leisure

Information Poverty Increasing categories of day to day activities are becoming EXCLUSIVELY Internet accessible only Government Services and Transactions Consumer Purchases Online Education Programs and Resources Communication, Music and Leisure THOSE WITHOUT ACCESS ARE MARGINALIZED

Information Poverty Information Literacy has become a necessary ingredient for human survival in the Information Economy -Academic Performance -Operating Efficiency and Business Competitiveness -Quality of Human Lives

Public Secondary Schools There are 5,789* public secondary schools in the country Less than 6% had internet facilities available for student use Information Poverty in the Philippines *DepEd data as of 2006 Before January 2005:

Public Education Situation As of Fiscal Year 2005, there is a shortage of: 58,000 classrooms, 2.24 million desks and chairs 7.77 million textbooks 21,000 teachers The Department of Education struggles to address problem of Information Poverty Government Budget for Education: $114 per student * This is the lowest in the ASEAN region *Data as of December 2004

Public Education Situation 90% of Filipino students are enrolled in the public school system

Public Education Situation National Secondary Achievement Test Results (TIMS, 2005 Data) High school mastery rates in 45 countries: the Philippines ranked  41st in Math  42nd in Science

The GILAS Mission: Internet Access and Basic Information Literacy for STUDENTS in ALL 5,789* public high schools by 2010 *(DepEd data as of 2006) Gearing up Internet Literacy and Access for Students

Turbo Charging Education via the Internet Resource Maximization Cost effective use of limited resources The Internet provides access to up-to-date journals and archives Optimized Learning Environment Multi-media: enhanced multi-sensory learning Promotes independent learning Interactive: Effectively reduces teacher: student ratio Access to global standards of information resources levels the playing field

The GILAS Experience 875 public high schools are now connected to the Internet Schools Connected : 323 Schools Connected 2005-August 2006: 552

The GILAS Experience -Lack of reliable validation data on infrastructure profiles necessary for optimal resource deployment schools don’t even have electricity -More than 3000 schools don’t have PCs Infrastructure Obstacles

The GILAS Experience -Telecom service availability -School structures not conducive for sustanability programs -Funding Infrastructure Obstacles

-Changes in Classroom Dynamics and the Resistance from teachers/administrators -Curriculum Integration -Optimizing technology facilities require more than just teaching skills The GILAS Experience Our public education system

The GILAS Experience -Evaluation and Monitoring -Lack of resources for continuous training of instructors -Maintenance -Sustainability Sustainability

The GILAS Experience GILAS engages all sectors of Philippine society in its goal to provide our youth with the best education. -Its efforts are directed by a multi-sectoral consortium -Funding comes from the public sector, private corporations and individuals - both here and abroad

The GILAS Experience -Follow-through programs and studies are conducted by different groups, organizations All geared towards preparing our students for the future GILAS engages all sectors of Philippine society in its goal to provide our youth with the best education.

Mayor Belmonte matched a donation of US $10,000 made by Credit Suisse First Boston. The combined amount was used to provide Internet access initially to 12 public high schools in Quezon City. The GILAS Experience: Quezon City

A new MoA was signed to provide connectivity to the remaining 33 public high schools, with GILAS matching again the LGU funds. Bayantel Corporation will donate the Internet service for all the 45 public high schools in, making QC 100% connected in the very near future.

Support GILAS Local Governments –Work with other units to push for education as a priority in their locales –100% connectivity of public high schools in their province Department of Education –Support from regional and provincial supervisors to complete public schools survey

Internet Service Providers –Help GILAS connect schools / provide cost-effective Internet solutions to communities Schools –Rally local alliance to raise funds to set- up and sustain computer labs –For Connected Schools: sustain Internet subscription, improve teacher training Support GILAS

Private Corporations, Organizations, Individuals –Sponsor schools for connection –Be a GILAS Champion –Assist GILAS with validating and connecting schools, computer maintenance, teachers’ training, etc. –Be a GILAS Volunteer Support GILAS

Visit our website: Connect our youth to a brighter future with GILAS