Teaching kids the value of computer in the Information Age

As the country's basic education system continue to get the flak for seemingly producing ill-equipped graduates in the past two or three decades, more and more people are now saying that immediate changes, even drastic measures, are in order. And they could be right! In the past, most of the neighboring Asian countries used to flock to the Philippines to learn -- but not anymore since their colleges are now better than ours (Ateneo and La Salle ranked 71 and 72, out of 77 colleges in Asia). Results of a recent survey also shows that only 2% of Filipino college graduates today make the cut in call centers due to low English comprehension skills. *

 

STI, a leading network of colleges in the country that has been at the forefront of revolutionizing the concept of education for Filipinos, offers a unique approach to solve this problem. Believing that knowledge formed in early childhood (ages 0 to 6) are crucial in the development of a child, it has come up with a revolutionary concept that seeks to incorporate Technological Quotient (T.Q.) to a child's learning capabilities in pre-school.

 

"The term T.Q. was developed to enable pre-school children to get acquainted with tools used in I.T. and to breakdown their aversion to computers," explains Peter Fernandez, senior vice president for the Education Management Division of STI. "At an early stage in their lives, we encourage kids to be adept with computers since these are no longer considered as a luxury item -- but now, more than ever, as a valuable appliance that's no different from television sets and the like. Knowledge in computers is also considered as a standard skill in today's age of information and technology."

 

By combining TQ with the proper development of IQ and EQ in young kids, STI hopes to be able to produce what it calls "the child of the future, today!". These are students whose skills have been honed well in a perfect mix of emotional maturity, natural abilities, and technological know-how so that they may withstand the rigors of primary and secondary schooling. Or maybe even in college, and the life that follows thereafter.

 

To maximize the process of transforming each graduate into a potential IT-enhanced worker, STI goes on to deliver an interactive approach to learning and teaching in early childhood education to the next level. Its Developmentally Appropriate Programs (DAP) in Reading, Language, Math and Science follows developmentally appropriate practices -- meaning a child is taught necessary skills that are expected of his age. Coupled with ICT-centered activities across all levels of learning, this unique process enables the child to be genuinely successful and to be challenged as he acquires and applies skills in his academic career.

 

"With the increasing demand for today's children to perform well in school, and excel in their chosen profession thereafter, we at STI felt that students ought to be equipped with the necessary skills for them to face the future. We provide our students a head start by starting them off at an early stage, exposing them to computers as early as in their formative years so they may already realize their full potential even before college," declares Mr. Fernandez. "We take advantage of the fact that children's learning abilities are enhanced further with visual aids and the fact that they are moving, animated educational tools that are delivered through computers makes learning a little more fun. It makes the kids enjoy the learning process even more," he adds.

 

When sustained further throughout elementary, high school and college, each child obtains a vital edge in ensuring that he graduates better educated, more skilled, more adaptable and thus, more capable of facing the challenges of the future. Aside from offering pre-school education in at least 10 locations for more than 6 years now, STI has also ventured into offering grade school and High school education that incorporates IT education in its curriculum. This, aside from what is now the largest network of more than 100 collegiate schools and learning institutions in the Philippines that has become a major foundation of STI. These schools are fully prepared academically to equip its graduates with the necessary skills needed by the industry.

 

* Source: Peter Wallace, "Bridge Program can start a major educational revolution", Manila Times, July 21, page A4.

 

"We at STI support the government in its efforts to provide quality education for Filipinos. Schools need to go back to the basics to inculcate competence among future workers for quality output and increased productivity," says Mr. Fernandez. "The fact that we're also into tertiary education puts us in a better position to assess the basic educational needs of students before entering college."

 

Considered as one of the leading institutions for ICT-centered education today, STI continues to find new ways of helping improve the quality of basic education for Filipinos. Just recently, STI was given the green light by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to offer nursing courses in 20 of its schools, making it one of the largest institutions for nursing in the country today. Beginning in September, which is the usual start of the school year for most other countries, STI is also set to open two new schools in Dempasar and Yogyakarta in Indonesia as well as in Ho Chi Minh and Saigon in Vietnam.

 

Apart from IT-enhanced learnings using a specialized courseware, STI also offers the services of its affiliate company, Global Resource for Outsourced Workers (GROW), Inc. to increase chances of its graduates in gaining immediate employment abroad. Yet another affiliate, the STI-Universal Workers Inc. (STI-UWI), helps in providing training and certification programs for prospective job-seekers abroad to ensure that they are properly acclimatized before working in the U.S. or in just about any part of the globe.

 

Fernandez continues, "Our end goal here, really, is to be able to produce IT-literate and world-class knowledge-based workers whose skills meet the provisions of global standards. At STI, we believe in starting them young," he adds with a smile – rephrase.