|Lanao Grade School Goes High Tech|
Teachers of Kalanganan Elementary School in Pantar, Lanao del Norte, familiarize themselves with the features of a new desktop computer provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the school’s parent-teacher association (PTA). USAID through its Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program partnered with the school to establish its minicomputer center and library. The PTAs of 949 schools have collaborated on 1,077 such projects, in which USAID matches peso for peso the funds raised by individual PTAs to improve educational services, benefiting more than 645,000 students in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao. This has helped to strengthen public awareness of the value of education, while creating a more conducive setting for learning among beneficiary schools and a feeling of empowerment among the PTAs. The GEM Program is implemented under the oversight of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).
Published in The Philippine Star, March 16, 2012; Mindanao Daily Mirror, March 6, 2012; Mindanao Times, March 6, 2012