This agreement which entails $ 380 million grant to DepEd marks the start of Oracle and DepED’s collaboration to integrate technology into the school program, which supports the government’s 10-point agenda to provide quality education for all in the Philippines.

In addition, the collaboration complements Oracle’s other education initiatives in the country, including Think.com and Thinkquest for primary and secondary students, and the Oracle Academic Initiative for universities, which are all aimed at helping students understand how to use technology and prepare for future careers.

The Oracle Academy and DepED partnership is focused on raising the awareness and standards of IT and technical skills in the Philippines. This will help meet the growing demand for technical skills in IT-enabled services and other industries, drive expanded job opportunities for individuals, and enhance overall economic development in the country.

"The Department of Education plays a key role in the advancement of the Philippines as a knowledge economy," said Education Undersecretary Fe A. Hidalgo. "Today’s agreement is a significant step to help expand the opportunities available to teachers, students and the general community. Leveraging the Oracle Academy, we look forward to continued partnership between Oracle and the public sector to help develop new opportunities that will help transform this country."

The Oracle Academy is a partnership between Oracle and secondary schools, designed to equip students with database, SQL, Java programming, and general business skills. Oracle works directly with participating schools to provide extensive teacher training, ongoing professional development and support, a state-of-the-art curriculum, and an online learning and development environment.

"The Oracle Academy program helps teachers and students by equipping them with practical experience and hands¬on knowledge of state-of-the-art technology and business applications software," said Yashi Kant, vice president of Technology Channels Sales, Oracle Asia PacificUJ. "The comprehensive training program will give students a head-start in the job market, providing them with enhanced career opportunities and competitiveness in the local and global job markets."

Under the MOA, the Oracle Academy program will be rolled out in two phases. Phase One will provide training for 60 teachers from 30 schools across the Philippines, as identified by DepED. Phase Two of the program will prepare another 1,500 additional teachers from 750 schools across the country.

Oracle’s work with DepED will expand the scope of the Oracle Academy and other Oracle’s Education Initiatives (OEI) programs in Asia Pacific. The Oracle Academy currently serves 6,675 students in 267 schools in countries across the Asia Pacific region, including China, Hong Kong and India. In addition, Oracle - through its Education Initiatives partners with government departments and institutions of higher education - provides access to the latest Oracle technologies and resources for more than 203, 800 students across Asia Pacific.

Francis Ong, Oracle Philippines’ managing director, added, "By investing in the education of today’ s students and partnering with government and academic bodies, Oracle is helping students meet the challenges of the information age. The long-term future of the country’s economy and the IT industry is reliant upon a well-informed and skilled generation of learners and leaders, both in business and IT."