'CyberEd' answer to poor education system in Phl, says solon

A congressman has proposed to impose the implementation of a cyber education program for elementary, high school and college education. Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez filed House Bill 4993, which proposes to use information and communications technology (ICT) as a tool for achieving higher standards of learning for students. Benitez said that the bill, which will be called "Cyber Education Act", would help the government address the poor quality of education being offered in the country, particularly in public schools. The congressman said that his bill proposes to create a Cyber Education Development and Management Corporation (CyberEd), which will act as the principal policy-making, planning and coordinating entity in the implementation of government programs and action plans related to cyber education. Benitez said the CyberEd Corp will be tasked to formulate a program for cyber education planning, research and development, and monitoring of activities in coordination with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The bill, however, requires a nationwide internet network similar to the botched $329-millio national broadband network entered into by the Arroyo administration with China's ZTE Corp. The congressman said that a nationwide internet network is needed to connect the 17 regional network nodes in the country. "This will provide a 100 percent internet and intra-net connectivity to all public elementary, secondary schools and SUCs using up-to-date ICT," Benitez said. The DOST had confirmed that it is considering reviving the botched NBN program. Reports said that the new NBN program is worth P800 million, which according to observers is expensive. Under the bill, a Digital School Project will be established to provide all public elementary, secondary schools and state universities and colleges nationwide with the necessary physical and ICT infrastructure for ICT-based teaching and learning. "The private and the public school teachers and school administrators shall have access to quality and affordable laptops which is in support of the current Laptop for Teachers (LT4T) program of the DepEd (Department of Education)," Benitez said. He said that the program would require at least 10 million laptop computers to be distributed for the next 10 years after the passage of the bill into law.