US names RP Asia’s first ‘digital literacy champ’

The Philippines has been declared by the United States as the first Asian “champion of digital literacy” this year, the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday.

Because of this development, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said he is confident of the DepEd’s Basic Education Information System (BEIS).

Information technology is now integrated into the country’s basic education system while teachers are being trained to handle the course.

Principals are given managerial tools to implement BEIS and the Learning Resource Management and Development System, which is also IT-based.

BEIS is backed by a A$20-million funding assistance from the Australian Aid under Project Strive.

Under the system, education statistics will be gathered from 45,000 schools and learning centers nationwide to be made available through the Web.

Lapus told reporters that the DepEd is the “biggest critical mass department.”

“Education statistics, like the number of children in school, are unreliable. It takes long for documents to be processed. But with the BEIS, what would take months before now would take only days,” he said.

BEIS can be accessed by schools without Internet connection, since it has an off-line program. With the system, upland schools can access the computer facilities of central schools and leading secondary schools.

Peter Jensen, acting minister counselor for Development Corp. of the Australian government, said they are helping the DepEd build its network capacity from Manila to the local schools. PNA