March 3, 2006
CEBU DAILY NEWS


BIGFOOT TO PROVIDE CEBU TEACHERS TRAININGS ON IT


With the help of Bigfoot Asia Pacific Foundation, Inc. trainings on information technology (IT) of teachers and students in Cebu City and in the province would now be enhanced.

Last March 1, the foundation released a P3 million grant to be divided between the Cebu City Schools and the Provincial Schools Divisions.

Joseph Mercado, Bigfoot chief executive officer, said they would assess first the needs of both divisions before distributing the grants.

Mercado said the grant would be used to purchase the computers and other equipment needed for the IT training.

Bigfoot will be the ones to purchase and install the equipment.

Because Cebu City has its own training facilities, Bigfoot will only be providing machines, cable wires, software and servers as well as upgrading what needs to be upgraded.

For the training of students and teachers from Cebu province, prison cells at the old provincial jail will be renovated and converted into training rooms where 30 computers will be provided.

Bigfoot has already tapped Globe for the province and PLDT for the city for the internet connections.

Mercado said they would see to it that the facilities and machines would be completed by end of this month.

“We have to take advantage of the summer when there will be no classes so training could be held for the teachers,” he said.

Although the city and the province have to take charge of the maintenance of the facilities and the machines provided by Bigfoot, Mercado said still they need some more assistance.

“Because we need to be involved, they will have to let us know in what other ways we could help,” he said.

Bigfoot has been providing aid for information technology enhancement in schools since December 2002.

Currently, 33 schools have benefited from the project with 22 of them provided with infrastructure and facilities.

The foundation has channeled over P15 million to these schools as well as trained teachers on IT.

Mercado said everyday they would receive an average of three requests from schools although they would like to reach schools in far-flung areas, which is their next priority.

After the signing of the memorandum of agreement between Mercado, Recaredo Borgonia, DepEd Cebu provincial schools superintendent and DepEd Cebu provincial schools superintendent Leonilo Oliva, Borgonia said, Bigfoot’s help is very important in enhancing the province’s community system as well as improving the academic excellence of students.