COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

At its heart, eSkwela is a collaborative project, borne of its parts – a partnership among CICT-HCDG,
local communities, LGUs and NGOs, TESDA, and Department of Education-Bureau of Alternative
Learning System (DepEd-BALS). eSkwela Centers are established due in most part to the active
involvement of the local community.

Tapping State Universities and Colleges and a number of content experts, CICT takes care of the social
mobilization, development of rich, multimedia content and corresponding Learning Management

System, capability building, and monitoring and evaluation. The community stakeholders take
responsibility in providing the infrastructure for the Center - specifically the space/site, renovation of
proposed space, utilities including Internet connection, electricity and security – as well as the means to
sustain the Center operations. DepEd-BALS and NGOs, on the other hand, come in by designating

dedicated mobile teachers / instructional managers, and center staff for the learning centers.

EVIDENCE OF SUCCESS

The four pilot eSkwela Centers catered to a total of 563 learners in their first year of implementation. Of

these, 356 took the Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Exam given in February 2008, with 204 of
them passing. The average passing rate of 57.30% (with a high of 73.42% passing rate in one of the
eSkwela Centers) also surpassed the 36.61% average passing rate of the four regions and the 29%
national passing rate.

Currently, there are nine eSkwela Centers (four from the AEF grant, and five community-led centers in

Ormoc City, Zamboanga City, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Kalumpang, Marikina City and Tanauan,
Leyte) and forty more initiatives led by local communities in varying stages of implementation.

An ICT-
Even with just nine current sites, eSkwela is the largest initiative of its kind in the country, and the
based
effects of their efforts are felt where it matters most: in the marginalized poor, with housewives, with the Alternative
disabled – sectors that have traditionally gotten the short shrift in the one-size-fits-all arena of formal Learning
System for
education. out-of-
school
youth and
And even the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) took notice.
adults
On June 2008, the eSkwela Project received a Certificate of Commendation from the UNESCO ICT in
Education Innovative Awards 2007-2008.

HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER

Project Management Office

Now that we have stable centers to model from, we are looking for local partners, such as local CICT-NCC Building
C.P. Garcia Avenue
government units, non-government organizations, civic groups, and schools that are willing to work with U.P. Diliman, Quezon City 1101
Philippines
us in bringing ICT-supported quality education to the Filipino people. Telefax: +63.2.920 7412
Email: cict.eskwela@gmail.com
Website: eSkwela.wikispaces.com
Those who are interested in bringing eSkwela to your community may contact the Project Management Blog: eSkwelablog.blogspot.com
Office or log on to http://Skwela.wikispaces.com for more details.

PRO J ECT OB JE CT IV ES
• To support the efforts of
DepEd to integrate ICT in
the teaching-and-learning
process
• To help BALS broaden
access to basic education
• To help BALS produce and
use interactive multimedia
learning materials for out-
of-school youth and adults
• To reduce the digital divide
by providing
disadvantaged youth and
adults with access to ICT
MEET F L O RD EL IZ A DA BUET , 3 6 , A
W IF E A ND M OT HE R F R OM BUL ACA N.
At an eSkwela Center, teachers
At 14, she dropped out of school, citing lack of family design activities that facilitate active
finances as her reason. Flordeliza eventually got participation of learners in the learning
married and had children, all of whom are now of process. Students at the center learn
lessons through the use of a Learning
school-age. At present, she runs a household with her
Management System, e-learning
husband, raises her brood of three, and operates a
modules, interact with teachers and INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL
small home-based business, whilst going to school, in
fellow learners through a combination
an eSkwela Center near her place, to, in her own
of face to face discussions and the At the heart of the eskwela
words, “make something of herself.”
use of and online learning project is the Instructional Model,
management system, and work with a blended type of learning-
Flordeliza says: “I knew I had to do this for myself – my
fellow students on collaborative centered instruction, which aims
eldest child is 15, and graduating high school soon. I
activities and projects that are to build a learning environment
want my kids to be able to say that their mother has a relevant to their personal lives, their where:
diploma, even a high school one, so that we won’t be families and their communities.
looked down upon – so that nobody can be snide and - learners engage in
say, ‘Well, your mother didn’t even graduate high learning activities that are
school.’ And it gives me confidence – even now, as a W HAT W E D O relevant to his/her
student, I have knowledge that I can use in experience
The initiative responds directly to a national development priority and brings e-learning
conversations, with anyone, anywhere.” - teachers facilitate self-
opportunities to mobile teachers / instructional managers and out-of-school learners in the
paced learning
Philippines in an exciting, innovative, and locally meaningful way.
Flordeliza is not the only one determined to finish her - technology resources are
used for learning,
schooling, through the eSkwela program, and get a
PRO J ECT HIST OR Y
communication,
diploma, pursue higher education, or join the
collaboration and
workforce, among other personal reasons why out-of- The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), through its Human
assessment through the of
school youths and adults go back to school. Capital Development Group, was able to secure a grant from the APEC Education Foundation
e-learning modules and a
or AEF (Korea) for the establishment of eSkwela Centers in four (4) pilot sites, namely: Quezon
learning management
Transforming lives one at City, San Jose del Monte, Cebu City, and Cagayan de Oro City.
system
a time - learners learn life skills by
The succeeding e-Government Fund allocations received from the national government was
doing individual and
utilized for the further development of e-learning and livelihood modules, further enhancement
CO M MU NIT Y e -L EA RNI NG CEN T ER collaborative projects
of the customized instructional model, regional road shows for the community-led Center
F OR Ou t-o f-S ch o o l Yo u t h a n d Ad u l t s and activities
rollouts, training for the educators and implementers of the eSkwela Centers nationwide, and
stringent monitoring and evaluation for the continuous improvement of the project.
Out-of-school youth and adults, who come from diverse
social and economic backgrounds, go to different
eSkwela Centers across the country and undergo
learning sessions that will enable them to acquire
relevant life skills, prepare them to rejoin the formal
education system, or review for the Accreditation and
Equivalency Exam, which, if they pass, would provide
them with a Certificate equivalent to an Elementary or a
High School Diploma.