iEARN-Philippines attends
Asia Policy Forum in ICT
By Armand Joseph Suero Aquino

WITH OTHER DELEGATES from 10 countries in Asia, the International Education and Resource Network (iEARN)-Philippines participated in the Asia Policy Forum on Information and Communication Technology in Education at the Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila in Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Sept. 19 and 20.

Chosen by the iEARN Executive Council, Mrs Ma Luisa Hernandez-Larcena, Makati Science High School English Department coordinator and iEARN-Philippines country coordinator, together with six selected Makati Science students, represented the iEARN-Philippines in the Asia Policy Forum on Information and Communication Technology in Education.

Attended by education ministers and secretaries from India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, as well as representatives from academes, aid agencies, corporations, and non government organizations, the forum discussed and uncovered solutions to current policy changes in information and communication technology in education in the Asian region.

With the theme “From Policy to Practice and from Practice to Policy: Finding Concrete Solutions to Real Problems,” the policy forum was funded by the World Bank, the Intel Corporation, and the Japan Social Development Fund and was organized by the World Links and the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development (FIT-ED).

Introduced by Education Secretary Jesli Aquino Lapus, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo delivered her keynote speech, while FIT-ED Chairman Roberto Romulo and Japanese Ambassador Ryuichiro Yamazaki delivered their welcome remarks.

Speaking during the opening program, Mr Will Swope, Intel Corporation vice president for corporate affairs, read his paper on “Future Directions in Technology for Learning,” while Ms Adriana Vilela, World Links executive director, delivered her paper on “Twenty-first Century Learning: Addressing the Relationships Between New Knowledge About Cognition Paradigms and the Demands of the Knowledge Economy.”

The policy forum also featured plenary sessions, concurrent open space dialogue sessions on impact evaluation; leadership education; content development; student-centered teaching and assessment; information and infrastructure and connectivity; and financing, public-private partnerships, and sustainability.