Few teachers use their ICT training to improve quality of teaching

MANILA, Philippines – Public school teachers provided with computer laptops and basic computer skills training are using it for administrative clerical tasks, but not to enhance their teaching in the classrooms.

This was the findings of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in its evaluation of their Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) project where USAID has partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd), in helping improve basic education areas most affected by poverty and conflict in Mindanao, particularly the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Regions IX and XII by providing desktop and laptop computers and other ICT equipment and training teachers in how to use them.

Teachers newly equipped with basic computer skills and trained in information and communication technology (ICT) are using their new skills mostly for administrative tasks such as preparing DepEd-required reports, calculating grades and typing lesson plans.

Only a few teachers use their newly-acquired skills and the computers in the classroom to actually improve the learning experience of the students in the core subjects of English, Math and Science.

The EQuALLS2 project said that teachers were apparently prevented from maximizing their new skills, use of laptop computers and small projectors provided them due to lack of hardware, inadequate school facilities to support technology use, and the need for next-level teacher training on ICT integration into the curriculum.

Another challenge was the lack of funds for “recurring costs” such as for electricity use, supply of “consumables” such as paper and ink, and hardware repair.

The findings were presented by USAID EQuALLS2 ICT specialist Yvette Tan to DepEd and USAID officials and other education stakeholders in a forum held recently at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Makati City.

The provision of laptop computers, printers, projectors, and software and basic computer training were undertaken under the EQuALLS2 project as a strategy to strengthen teaching of the core subjects of English, Math and Science in ARMM and Region IX and XII public elementary schools and community support for education.

The project also offers alternative basic education and livelihood skills training for out-of-school children and youth.

Launched in April 2006 and set to end this December, the EQuALLS2 project management team boasts that it has already hit its targets, having trained 43,000 elementary school teachers and administrators, building and repairing 1,885 classrooms and community learning centers, distributing 2.09 million textbooks and other learning materials, and providing alternative basic education and livelihood skills training to 112,889 out-of-school children and youth.

The “interventions” is said to have resulted to a 28 percent increase in students’ national achievement test scores, a 68 percent improvement in out-of-school youth literacy, and a 100 percent use of improved out-of-school youth livelihood skills among target beneficiaries.

Apprised of the findings, DepEd officials, led by Assistant Secretary Rey Laguda, chief of staff of DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro, said that they will revisit their ICT for education initiative and will integrate in the revised strategy the findings of the EQuALLS2 project.

Paul Soriano, DepEd director for Technical Services, said that they are mulling providing laptops to schools and training more teachers on ICT using not a generic training design but different training packages that respond to varied teacher needs, based on EQuALLS2’s experience that customized ICT training was highly effective.

Also present at the forum for the presentation of the EQuALLS2 project findings were representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Korean International Cooperation Agency, Australian Agency for International Development, University of the Philippines, and SEAMEO-INNOTECH.

USAID and DepEd also cited Microsoft Philippines for supporting the ICT training for Mindanao teachers.

EQuALLS2 project management team said that they will soon share with DepEd and other education players in the country more of its findings from its experience in implementing basic education and out-of-school youth programs in high-poverty, conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. –Rainier Allan Ronda (The Philippine Star)