ICT PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN EDUCATION - ANGARA

In a bid to revolutionize Philippine education through technology, Senator Edgardo J. Angara called for the establishment of a Center for Leading Edge Technologies (CLEET), which will bring together academic, technological and economic forces to pursue studies and programs on educational technologies.

"One of the main problems confronting our educational system is the lack of access to quality education. Adopting emerging educational technologies may effectively address this problem," he stressed.

Angara, author of the bill creating CLEET, underscored the need to upgrade the level of education in the country through technological innovation. "We need to modernize the educational system and use educational technology for more effective teaching and learning."

CLEET will train educators, trainors and practitioners from across the nation to influence the directions of educational technology. It will be dedicated to the development of the appropriate educational materials on emerging technologies.

"The goal is to assemble a high-technology facility for accessing leading-edge hardware, software and materials and a core of leadership to determine these priorities and to bring technology to raise educational standards," he said.

"We must also do a careful evaluation of affordable technologies so we don't end up with obsolete, hand-me-down technologies."

CLEET will be jointly funded by the government and the private sector. Its thrust would be education and information technology. The Board of Trustees will include the Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Chairman of the Technological Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and representatives from other government agencies and the academe.

Its initial capital endowment will come from the national government. Eventually, its funds will come from both the government and private sector. Every year, the DepEd, CHED, and TESDA will allocate a portion of their annual budget to the Center's support.