Keynote Address delivered by DepEd Secretary Jesli A. Lapus at the Second Philippine Elementary School Principals Association (PESPA) Luzon Chapter Summit, February 13, 2008 at Island Cove, Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite
Let me begin with a guessing game. What country is home to countless dedicated teachers, superior public and private schools and the best system of colleges and universities in the world and yet, in an information and technology-based global economy, this country has miserably failed to equip its young people and its workforce with the skills they need to succeed personally and support the competitive economy.
This same country’s public education system has not been updated in the last one hundred years where more than 30 percent of its students do not graduate from high school. Again, this country does not have national standards or national assessments that apply to all students.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am referring to the mighty United States of America. The state of affairs in American educational landscape was reported no less by the US Chamber of Commerce in 2006. But I do not mean to put down America. Far from it. I just wanted to emphasize the need to take a look at our own education models and reassess whether we need to retool in order to meet the challenges of the Age of Information.
Brazilian educator Eduardo Chaves emphasized the need for innovation in education, especially in the context of the tremendous technological advancements in the last few years. Chaves stressed that— every time society changes drastically and profoundly, education needs to change as well. Sadly, standardized education is increasingly out of sync with society. And education is no longer effective in preparing young people for the challenges of the new world.
According to Chaves, schools are required to provide real innovation—one that demands thoughtful, purposeful change that creates an environment wherein the school empowers educators and students to realize their full potential.
For a country like the Philippines there has to be a Transformation. This requires change that goes beyond existing structures.
Despite the transformation of our world, education remains the same
Education is viewed as content delivery
The Curriculum is the organized content to be delivered
Teachers are content deliverers
Teaching is the method of delivering content
The Classroom is the location of deliver of content
The Class is the time of segmented delivery of content
Students are recipient or absorbers of content
Learning is the absorption or assimilation of content
Evaluation is the assessment of content retention
And The School is the environment where all this takes place
We need a new concept of education. We need a new understanding of learning. We need a new understanding of the role of teachers. And we need a new view of the function of schools in society. Schools must become truly creative and innovative organizations so that they can become true Learning Organizations as powerful learning environments.
Of course, there are risks in innovating. But there are also enormous risks in not innovating in a world that is undergoing radical transformation. As I have pointed out earlier, we have to look beyond the power of these technologies to improve our lives.
We too must take into account that our world is dependent so much on these technologies that to ignore them will not only prevent us from being competitive globally— it may actually render us incompetent and powerless in the coming years. Without a doubt, we must transform education. And without a doubt, we can transform education through technology itself. Ladies and gentlemen—as educators, teachers and mentors, we must take the lead in promoting the use of technology in and out of our schools.
Recent technological advancements have created a host of learning opportunities for every Filipino. High speed broadband Internet connection is fast becoming the standard even in Third World countries. To the average Filipino, this means learning opportunities far beyond the limitations of our local libraries. And as we look at the possibilities of distance learning, we can expect more technology-based learning opportunities for Filipinos in the very near future.
At the threshold of this knowledge-based society are new opportunities for employment. Our ability to harness our intellectual and technological abilities determines whether or not we can become the knowledge workers of the future.
Technology is no longer a luxury—it is now the standard. All this, of course, has a profound impact on our education system. From a curriculum standpoint, we must now ask ourselves—What do we teach? And from a pedagogical standpoint, we must now ask ourselves—how do we teach?
What do we teach in this Digital Age? How do we teach in this Digital Age?
Beyond the three R’s, we are required to provide an education that can empower all Filipinos to become competitive in this Digital Age. Yes, we need to provide the 21st Century Skills of Digital Age Literacy, Inventive Thinking, Effective Communication and High Productivity. At the same time, if we are to prepare ourselves to become successful in the 21st Century, we must recognize the need to go beyond Traditional Teaching Methods. As many of you know, these teaching methods evolved as far back as the Industrial Age they were developed to merely satisfy the need for workers with knowledge and basic skills appropriate for manufacturing.
To meet the challenges of the 21st Century, we need to evolve from this teacher-led instructional model where learners are mere consumers of information and knowledge to a learner-led personalized model where learners are also producers of information and knowledge.
Needless to say, technology plays a major role in creating this new and improved model of teaching and learning.
Through technology, education happens anytime, anywhere.
It is with this vision that we are pursuing what we call ICT4E—the Department of Education’s ICT for Education Agenda. We believe that it is not enough to simply provide computers with internet connection in the classroom and hope—that somehow—learning will occur. We need a comprehensive response to the challenges—and opportunities— given to us by these new technologies. We need an encompassing strategy that is backed by sound policy.
Beyond this, we have been pushing for the use of satellite-based distance education, so that we can provide high quality educational materials to the millions of underserved school children living in the most far-flung areas of our archipelago.
Convinced about the global prescription that the integration of ICT in basic education for instructional purposes and governance is now a standard rather than an afterthought, we have been accelerating various successful ICT interventions.
We use ICT to deliver technology-based education, not only in terms of computers but by using what is available in the community including radio, television, cassette tapes, human resources – all meant to come up with blended or hi-breed learning solutions to problems of access and quality.
DepED also continues to integrate ICT in basic education in cooperation with Department of Trade and Industry and in partnership with stakeholders in the private sector. This initiative provided 4,712 public high schools with computer laboratories of which 1,149 have internet connection. Also, computer hardware, software and course wares were made available to public secondary and selected elementary schools and community learning centers.
In addition, there are various educational programs supported by DepED’s development partners like Knowledge Channel in 1,800 schools, Text to Teach by Nokia in 300 elementary schools, PCs for Public Schools with DTI, GiL@S Project in 1,700 schools, Smart Schools Project in 52 schools, E-Media in 8,000 schools and Classmate PCs and the REIMAGINED Seminar Series sponsored by Intel.
We also count on ICT to speed up our training and development activities at a standard quality. The method of cascading training dilutes the substance of the training program. With ICT, however, we are assured of the highest quality program.
Moreover, we are working towards using ICT to effectively govern the entire bureaucracy. Employing management information systems and computer-based operations, we look forward to the day when we can systematize our operations and promote internal efficiency.
We therefore welcome this forum that aims to deepen our executives’ understanding and appreciation of the critical role of information and communication technology in our work at the Department of Education. Our goal is to come together to achieve a certain and common level of understanding of ICT and its role in the delivery of educational services.
I know that some of us may not be that technology savvy. But that is ok. This is not so much about the technical side of the ICT but more on the idea of embracing ICT as an indispensable tool in our kind of work. Technology is here to stay. We cannot afford to just brush it aside. We have no choice but to fully harness its power to our advantage. We must recognize that ICT in education is a huge investment for our government. It is therefore proper that we leave no chance for error or wastage. More than just cursory knowledge, we should be able to navigate through these technologies. We should have clear understanding of how automated systems are normally conceptualized, designed, procured, developed, installed and most importantly, used to the maximum benefit.
It is essential that the technology— and the know-how— be not limited to just a few individuals. Dapat marami ang makaintindi— marami ang maka-appreciate— so we can implement it well and really optimize its benefits. This, quite naturally, requires a paradigm shift on the part of some of our executives— those who are dependent on our subordinates and our resident ICT guys for their ICT needs. It’s time to move out of our comfort zone. It expects of us greater engagement and more focused involvement. If we require our teachers to be ICT-capable then all the more we, the executives of this Department, need to be equally ICT-adept.
We cannot escape the march of technology. Either we ride the crest or be swept away into the sidelines. Technology will not go away, it will never slow down. It can only become more sophisticated. I therefore enjoin you to take an active part in the discussions. Ask questions. Be involved. Be critical— but do so in the spirit of constructive collaboration.
As we look at a bright future for our young learners , let us move forward with passion for their cause, faith in humanity’s capacity to survive and endure and trust in the power of technology to speed up our march towards progress.
Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat.
To enhance the ICT skils of Elementary District and School ICT Coordinators, a 5-Day Division Training on Basic Computer and Internet Literacy was held last September 22-26, 2008 at Mariveles NHS-Cabcaben.
The ICT4E is directed towards the students. It aims to lead the students to be proficient, adaptable lifelong learners where ICT plays a major role in creating a new and improved model of teaching and learning where education happens anytime, anywhere. The successful implementation of the ICT Strategic Plan for the Philippines will lead to the commencement of exciting new era in education. Such success will require close cooperation among education stakeholders including the parents and the wider community. 
