HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER

Now that we have stable centers to model from, we

are looking for local partners, such as local govern-

ment units, non-government organizations, civic

groups, and schools that are willing to work with us

in bringing ICT-supported quality education to the

Filipino people.

Those who are interested in setting up an eSkwela

Center in your community may contact the Project

Management Office or log on to

ht tp ://a lseSkwela.n ing.comht tp ://a lseSkwela.n ing.comht tp ://a lseSkwela.n ing.comht tp ://a lseSkwela.n ing.com for more details.

MEET FLORDELIZA DABUET , 36, A WIFE AND MOTHER FROM BULACAN.

At 14, she dropped

out of school, citing

lack of family fi-

nances as her rea-

son. Flordeliza

eventually got mar-

ried and had chil-

dren, all of whom

are now of school-

age. She successfully balanced running a house-

hold with her husband, raising her brood of

three, and operating a small home-based busi-

ness with going to an eSkwela Center near her

place, to finish her basic education in order to, in

her own words, “make something of herself.”

Flordeliza said: “I knew I had to do this for myself

– my eldest child is 15, and graduating high

school soon. I want my kids to be able to say that

their mother has a diploma, even a high school

one, so that we won’t be looked down upon – so

that nobody can be snide and say, ‘Well, your

mother didn’t even graduate high school.’ And it

gives me confidence – even now, as a student, I

have knowledge that I can use in conversations,

with anyone, anywhere.” [2008]

e S k w e l a C e n t e r s

PROCESS FLOW FOR CENTER SET -UP

1. Contact the CICT eSkwela Project Team or the

designated eSkwela Regional Coordinator.

2. Download, fill up, and submit the eSkwela Ap-

plication Form.

3. CICT assesses the Application Form and com-

municates with the designated point person.

4. CICT conducts social mobilization activities (i.e.

meeting with major community stakeholders).

5. Site-specific activities:

• Formation of the local Steering Committee and conduct of meeting to discuss partner-ship parameters that will be reflected on

the MOA.

• Legal documents are drafted.

• Detailed check of infrastructure set-up.

• Community selects designated site person-nel based on required roles and competen-

cies.

• Conduct of personnel training, if needed.

6. Community conducts learner-enrollment proc-

ess.

7. Personnel prepare the Center including the

Learning Management System.

8. Community launches the Center.

9. Community operates the Center and ensures

its sustainability - CICT conducts regular moni-

toring and evaluation activities. ICT-SUPPORTED

ALTERNATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM

FOR OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTH AND ADULTS

LUZONLUZONLUZONLUZON

1. Laoag City, Ilocos Norte

2. San Fernando City, La Union

3. SOSCFI, Baguio City

4. PILCD, La Trinidad, Benguet

5. Alaminos City, Pangasinan

6. City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan

7. Roces Avenue, Quezon City (pilot)

8. Bgy Loyola Heights, Quezon City

9. Holy Trinity Parish, Quezon City

10. Kalumpang, Marikina City

11. St. Andrew’s School, Paranaque

12. Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro

13. Boac, Marinduque

14. San Fernando, Camarines Sur

VISAYASVISAYASVISAYASVISAYAS

1. Cebu City (pilot)

2. La Carlota City, Negros Occidental

3. Ormoc City

4. Tanauan, Leyte

5. Donsol, Sorsogon

6. Banuyo, Sorsogon

7. Bitan-O-Sorsogon City

8. Capitol-Sorsogon City

MINDANAOMINDANAOMINDANAOMINDANAO

1. Cagayan de Oro City (pilot)

2. NCC-FOO, Zamboanga City

3. Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay

4. Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur

5. Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental

6. Davao City

7. Digos City, Davao del Sur

8. Asuncion, Davao del Norte

9. Sultan Kudarat

list as of 07 June 2010

“Many of them have never even touched a computer before. Many of them had given up on ever coming back to school again. Many of them have abandoned their dreams. To say that they’re excited about going back to school again – and on com-puters, at that - is putting it mildly.”

- Vi Aruta, an eSkwela learning facilitator

2nd Floor, CICT-NCC Building,

C.P. Garcia Avenue, U.P. Diliman, Quezon City, Philip-

pines

Phone: +63.2. 928 61 05 local 2632

Fax: +63.2.920 7412

E-mail: cict.eskwela@gmail.com

URL: http://alseskwela.ning.com

eSkwela: ang kwelang eskwela!

eSkwela PROJECT

EVIDENCE OF SUCCESS

From a pilot run of four (4) sites in 2006-2007,

there are now 31 sites - by far the largest initiative

of its kind in the country.

The project currently has 113 of the 283 targeted

e-learning A&E modules certified by BALS as well

as four (4) e-courses for the Technical Education

and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) that

cover Horticulture, HVAC-Refrigeration, Automotive

Servicing, and Bartending.

Having served an estimated 2,500 learners since

2007, the eSkwela Centers around the country are

living testimonials to the potentials of ICTs in edu-

cation. The effects are felt where it matters most:

in the marginalized poor, with housewives, with

the disabled – sectors that have traditionally got-

ten the short shrift in the one-size-fits-all arena of

formal education. For its efforts, the project was

cited by UNESCO through a Certificate of Commen-

dation from the ICT in Education Innovation

Awards 2007-2008.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

eSkwela is a collabora-

tive project, borne of its

parts – a partnership

among CICT-HCDG, De-

partment of Education-

Bureau of Alternative

Learning System

(DepEd-BALS), division

offices, local government units (LGUs), non-

government organizations (NGOs), schools, and

civic groups, eSkwela Centers are established

due in most part to the active involvement of the

local communi-

ties.

CICT relies

heavily on com-

munity stake-

holders in the

project by set-

COMMUNITY e -LEARNING CENTERS FOR

OUT -OF-SCHOOL YOUTH AND ADULTS

The Human Capital Development Group of the

Commission on Information and Communications

Technology (CICT-HCDG) partners with the Depart-

ment of Education’s Bureau of Alternative Learn-

ing System (DepEd-BALS) and local communities

in establishing community-based e-learning cen-

ters or eSkwela Centers that provide ICT-

supported learning sessions to ALS learners who

wish to finish their basic education requirements

or to gain relevant life skills for personal growth,

higher education, or employment.

The project seeks to harness the powers of ICTs

in education to broaden access to quality educa-

tional opportunities for out-of-school youth and

adults (OSYAs) who would like a new lease on life.

As a priority set by CICT, the Commission recog-

nizes the effective use of ICT in educating out-of-

school youths and adults as one of the most pow-

erful uses of technology for national develop-

ment.

INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL

At the heart of the eSkwela project is the Instructional Model

that supports a blended type of project-based learning, which

aims to build a learning environment where learners engage in

activities that encourage them to acquire and apply life skills.

Through module packages composed of interactive module guides

and e-learning modules, facilitators promote self-paced learning

with the appropriate use of various ICT resources and tools for

learning, communication, collaboration, and assessment.

“

We all know that our formal education institutions only reach a minority of young Filipinos who should be in school. eSkwela is a perfect platform to go beyond the school system and reach those who are not in school, or even those beyond Philippine borders.

Ms. Evangeline Lourdes Arroyo-Bernas, eSkwela Conference 2009

“ ting-up, managing, and

financing the centers’

operations as well as

providing support for

community-based pro-

jects. These include

provision of infrastruc-

ture requirements - spe-

cifically the space/site,

renovation of the pro-

posed space, utilities including Internet connec-

tion, electricity and security, and more impor-

tantly, the means to sustain the Center opera-

tions. Local DepEd-ALS Divisions and NGOs come

in by designating dedicated learning facilitators

and center staff for the learning centers.