CapSU MIS monitors iSchools in Capiz

By Niño Manaog

University Extension Associate

Capiz State University

The Capiz State University (CapSU)’s Management Information Systems (MIS) Office led by Director Blas Bargo has initiated various activities to implement and monitor the iSchools project launched by the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) across the province of Capiz. 

Working for CICT under the Office of the President, CapSU’s CICT team composed of Project Manager Blas Bargo, Technical Training Coordinator Amel Magallanes; Open Source Technical Expert Leo Anthony Navarrosa and Laboratory Assistant Martin Diego Villaluna helped launch and install the computer networks in nine public high schools across the province of Capiz in 2010.

CapSU MIS Director Blas Bargo (first from left) leads the team
that monitors the performance, equipment and status of
 iSchools project in Basiao National High School in Ivisan, Capiz.
Here, computer laboratory custodian Zenaida Ong (center)
coordinates with Martin Villaluna on the new equipment
installed for use at the same school.

Under the iSchools project, each beneficiary was awarded one laptop, one Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) projector, one computer unit each for the use of the school library, faculty room and principal and 16 computer workstations for the use of the students. The donation also came with one air-conditioning unit for the computer laboratory, while the school recipients prepared the building and the basic fixtures and facilities as counterpart. Along with the costs incurred for the capability building activities and representation and transportation allowance, each school recipient was awarded approximately Php1M under the said project.

The iSchools project seeks to promote enhanced classroom learning and instruction in nine selected public high schools in the province. For this, CapSU virtually helps “bridge the digital divide” as it monitors the performance, equipment and status of iSchools projects given. The team also virtually helps facilitate capability building activities and initiates monitoring schemes for the performance and status of the launched iSchools.

Since last year, MIS Director Bargo’s team has launched monitoring the equipment status and performance of iSchools projects in various parts of Capiz including Basiao National High School in Ivisan and Pawa National High School in barangay Pawa, Panay, Capiz.

Sophomores Glaiden Umiten (left) and Prince Ace Billones,

II-Pearl students of Basiao National High School in sitio Looc,

Basiao, Ivisan, Capiz feel lucky and privileged

to have been the pioneer batch in their school to benefit

from the iSchools project launched last year.

In Basiao National High School in sitio Looc, Basiao, Ivisan, second-year students Glaiden Umiten and Prince Ace Billones feel lucky and privileged to have been the pioneer batch in their school to benefit from the iSchools project launched last year.

In 2010, Umiten and Billones belonged to the first batch who were taught Computer courses in their school and the first to have used the computer units awarded to their school. Billones, cartoonist for their school paper Ang Baybayon, was excited to learn computer skills and considers himself productive last year. “Marami kang magagawa at marami kang makikita (You can do and see many things),” Billones, who obtained 97% overall average in his freshman year, says of this privilege of being able to use computers

Meanwhile, fourteen-year-old Umiten shares her classmate’s privilege of using computers in their schoolwork. Umiten is grateful that she can edit pictures and enhance her school project, and even values the skills which she can use for future employment, saying, “Magagamit ko ang computer skills ko sa paghanap ng trabaho.”

Bargo’s technical team periodically monitors the performance, equipment and status of iSchools projects like these in Basiao National High School in Ivisan, Capiz. During monitoring, Bargo’s team helps troubleshoot problems of the purchased units provided for the computer workstations laboratories in the said high schools. For example, computer laboratory custodian Zenaida Ong of Basiao NHS and Rose Ann Edullantes of Pawa NHS coordinate with laboratory assistant Martin Villaluna on the new equipment installed for use at the same school.

CapSU's Martin Villaluna installs the newly purchased
UPS provided for the workstations in Basiao National
High School's computer laboratory.

Ms. Rose Ann Edullantes, computer laboratory custodian of Pawa National High School realizes the benefits of the iSchools project in their community. First, she says that at least the students become computer literate; which gives them advantage over other students without computers. iSchools also allow teachers to advance themselves. Personally she finds it as another way of improving herself. A math major herself, Edullantes considers teaching Computer subjects to her students as a challenge. She also considers it as opportunity and privilege since she has access to computer use anytime. Through the computer seminars and trainings she attends under CICT, she gains more know-how and advantage.

According to MIS Director Blas Bargo, who is also iSchools regional coordinator for monitoring and evaluation in Western Visayas, they evaluate the performance and status of the facilities because CICT is mandated to monitor the impact of the project to the communities where they have been provided. 

One of the flagship projects of Human Capital Development Group (HCDG) under the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), the iSchools project aims not only to equip public high school teachers and students with ICT literacy skills but also to “provide them access to relevant digital content and applications in education which they can use to enhance effective learning.”