| CICT begins PC Recycling Program for 2009 |
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| Friday, 17 April 2009 | |
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April 6, 2009, Quezon City- The Commission on Information and Communications Technology, through it's iSchools Project, has just concluded the first Phase of its PC Recycling and Maintenance Program. The first phase involves a series of training of trainers given to technical experts from various State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) all over the country. The trainings, which were held in Bataan from March 9-13, in Bukidnon from March 20-27 and in Guimaras from March 30-April 3, aims to teach the SUC Technical Experts the essential skills to conduct similar trainings to Public High Schools (PHS), the primary beneficiaries of the program.Under the program, the PHS who are beneficiaries of previous computerization projects will be given the necessary skills to repair broken computers and upgrade their computer laboratories. The program will generate working computer units for the use of the PHS and update these computers to the latest software. The refurbished units will be installed with the latest Edubuntu Linux operating system and will be installed with the latest open-source productivity software such as Open-Office and Mozilla Firefox. “Many High Schools have computer laboratories, but due to old age and continuous use, these computers are bound to breakdown and malfunction” claimed iSchools Project Manager Antonette Torres. “We have to do something so they can continue using their computers as tools for teaching and learning. This training is our answer to the wear and tear of computers” she added. According to Ms. Torres, the program is restricted to the user-replaceable level. She states, “We will teach the PHS computer maintenance at a certain level appropriate to their expertise and equipment, meaning we will teach them how to fix broken PCs by detecting and replacing broken parts. But due to the hazards involved and the need for advanced equipment, we will not teach them how to repair the broken parts themselves”. The irreparable parts will be forwarded to designated recycling centers. CICT's partner SUCs together with commercial recycling companies will serve as recycling centers for these irreparable units and components. The second phase of the program is set to begin in May. The second phase of the program is the actual roll-out of the 10-day training to PHS. Interested PHS are requested to send their applications to the iSchools Project Management Office or by visiting the iSchools PC Recycling website. |