Masbate schools get revved up

MANILA, Philippines - High tech learning reached these remote places even before paved roads did.

Seven remote schools in Masbate are on their way to 21st century learning after they recently received the e-learning management program called Genyo.

The donation is a partnership between Diwa Learning Systems, Bato Balani Foundation (BBFI) and Gearing Up Internet Literacy and Access for Students (GILAS), which will benefit 300 public schools all over the country.

Masbate School of Fisheries of Milagros, Mobo National High School of Mobo, Santos E. Conag National High School from Esperanza, Rondida Atendida National High School, Villahermosa National High School of Cawayan, Marintoc National High School of Mobo and Malbug High School of Cawayan now have Genyo Version 3 installed in their computers.

Students can now learn their Science, Math, English, Filipino and Araling Panlipunan using Genyo’s interactive and dynamic multimedia components such as video and audio clips, colorful graphics, charts and animations, interactive simulations and challenging exercises and quizzes.

Despite difficult terrain and even a typhoon, which made reaching these schools even more difficult and which also damaged some of the schools’ computers, installation and teacher training were carried out. The team walked for hours, braving Masbate’s terrain, harsh weather and landslides to make ICT accessible even to the most remote schools.

One of the schools, Villahermosa National High School, didn’t have electricity and was using a generator set powered by a water pump. Unfortunately, during the installation, the water pump broke down so the school principal had to borrow one from the next barangay, which was 1.5 kilometers away from the school.

Educational materials in the form of scholastic enhancement magazines and textbooks were also donated by BBFI to the libraries of the schools.

GILAS is a multi-sectoral initiative of corporations and concerned non-profit institutions that aims to connect public high schools all over the country to the Internet, thus upgrading the quality of education even in remote areas. BBFI is a non-stock, non-profit private foundation serving as the social development arm of Diwa Learning Systems, the country’s leader in ICT integrated education currently celebrating its 25th year.