Make Public Schools Tech-Savvy, Says Sonny Angara

Team Pnoy senatorial candidate Edgardo “Sonny” Angara is seeking the building of technology-equipped public schools that will help prepare students for jobs in the knowledge society and the global economy.
 
Feb. 20, 2013 - PRLog -- Angara said he was drafting a bill that seeks to implement a School Innovation and Modernization Program to be funded by regular allocations from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and an Innovation and Modernization Trust Fund with a seed money of P15 billion.  
   
“The Philippines has to reorient the thrusts of its educational system meet the growing needs and demands of a highly-competitive world market,” Angara said in the bill's explanatory note. He lamented that the country's public elementary and high schools lack computers and Internet access.
   
Unless reversed  with a comprehensive and sustainable modernization program, Angara said, young Filipinos will fail to meet the demands for technology-oriented jobs and the manpower needs of the knowledge society.
   
Economic analysts recently said that the presence of a vast pool of young men and women ready to join the work force  is one of the greatest assets of the country, especially when viewed from the-fast  graying population of other countries .
   
Angara said the proposed Innovation and Modernization Program would  include the computerization of public schools across the country, the modernization of libraries and their provision with Internet access, the promotion of integrated  distance-learning programs and the equipping of all schools with science libraries on top of the regular libraries.
   
The program also cover the training and retraining of teachers, with focus on computer literacy and instructional communication technology, he said. Under the bill,  a mix of funds should  bankroll the ambitious school modernization and innovation program.
   
It says that the Department of Budget and Management is mandated to allocate 10 per cent of its yearly budget for the Innovation and Modernization Program,  and that a P15 billion seed money is allocated for the purpose.

In addition, the Trust Fund should also be funded from the following :
- The equivalent of 20% of the yearly gross earnings of PAGCOR
- The equivalent of  10% of the yearly annual gross tax collections
- The equivalent of 20% of any additional increase in the  yearly fees for vehicle registration
- The equivalent of two per cent of the additional increase in revenue collection yearly
- The equivalent of 10% of the lotto sales of the PCSO
   
The bill further states that the trust fund should be managed by investment professionals from the public sector and it should be treated as separate from the regular maintenance and other operating expenses or MOOE.  The private sector is allowed under the bill to support the funding requirement of the innovation and modernization program.

ABOUT REP. EDGARDO “SONNY” M. ANGARA
Rep. Edgardo "Sonny" Angara is the Chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education and Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, Philippines.  Inquiries about Rep. Edgardo M. Angara may be directed to the House of Representatives Rm. N-305, Phone: 931-5001 local 7344.
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