The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it is set to conduct online seminars or “webinars” aimed at preparing teachers for alternative learning systems under the “new normal”.
The agency said it has directed its ICT Literacy and Competency Development Bureau (ILCDB), Cybersecurity Bureau, and regional offices to formulate and facilitate the conduct of webinars aimed at capacitating and upskilling the ICT competencies of teachers, administrators, educators, and students in different public and private educational institutions and state universities and colleges (SUCs).
The DICT said the capacity-building activities will assist in the preparation for the potential use of available ICT-enabled education services such as online learning management systems, videoconferencing platforms, and online educational resources, with due regard to raising awareness on safe cybersecurity and privacy practices.
The initiative is in accordance with the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) which adopted the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan of the DepEd, directing schools to decide on the specific learning delivery modalities such as blended and online learning delivery modes to contain the spread of Covid-19.
“ICT has become crucial for retaining a sense of continuity for our society, especially in the education sector. DICT is here to help upskill the ICT capacity of our teachers in order for them to utilize the full potential of ICT in providing quality education to their students given the disruptions in holding face-to-face classes,” DICT secretary Gregorio B. Honasan II said.
The DICT initially offered free online technical trainings to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as digital governance trainings to chief information officers (cios), planning or policy officers, ICT service officers, ICT project managers, management information system (MIS) officers, and ICT professionals of government and private organizations.
“We will continue to work towards providing digital literacy and capacity to different sectors in order for our nation to better adapt to the new normal,” Honasan added.
