The Department of Education (DepEd) has conducted the pilot-testing of the ICT-based educational materials in selected public schools in the Visayas Region which aims at putting up more laboratories and connecting 5,237 public high schools in the country to the Internet this year.

The program is done under the agency’s Learning Resource Management and Development System (LRMDS).

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said that the program is part of the education agency’s continuing development of educational tools responsive to the needs of the 21st century.

“These are some of the major contributions of DepEd to provide 21st century education for all Filipinos,” Lapus said.

“We know all too well that the use of ICT in education is very critical in learning as well as in school management,” he added. The LRMDS portal contains educational tools for students and teachers alike, which they can access anytime and anywhere. These include lesson guides, interactive teaching materials and professional development materials.

DepEd also launched the enhanced Basic Education Information System (BEIS), which is geared towards strengthening management decision-making and optimize allocation of education resources. Through the technology-based program, data and other useful information of schools in division, regional and national levels will soon be easily accessed.

These initiatives are under the Stage 2 of Strengthening the Implementation of Basic Education in Selected Provinces in the Visayas (STRIVE) project. The LRMD portal and BEIS are funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

“I am sure this will have far reaching effects when implemented in the rest of the DepEd regions and divisions nationwide” Lapus said.

Meanwhile, the Australian government has turned over to DepEd the Training and Development Center in Region VII based in Cebu City. The center shall provide professional development for educational leaders, teachers and non-teaching staff.

“We need to invest more in honing the skills and talents of our own people because they will eventually be in the frontline. The center is cost-effective in providing continuous professional training to DepEd personnel,” Lapus said.

“Our next target is to increase access to varied and quality learning, teaching and staff development resources,” he added.