Negros Oriental's lone E-Classroom program recipient receives computer package
by: Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, March 18 (PIA) --- The Department of Education (DepEd) has delivered the Information Communication Technology (ICT) package to Lutoban Elementary School in Barangay Lutoban, Zamboanguita town, which is the sole recipient of DepEd's ICT program in Negros Oriental.
The package consisted of one touch screen, six monitors and one projector which were delivered early this month, according to Zamboanguita Information Officer Aida Saavedra.
Saavedra said the Zamboanguita municipal government provided computer tables for the package as its counterpart to the program.
Lutoban Elementary School Teacher-In-Charge Jovelyn Grampon explained that their school was chosen as the program's sole recipient in the province due to its consistently good academic performance for the past five years, giving them an edge over other elementary schools here.
Only five elementary schools were picked as recipients for said program in Region 7.
According to DepEd's ICT Trainer, Rodulf Guevarra, the ICT program also known as “E-Classroom” initially aimed to equip public high schools with computers until 2011.
“This year, DepEd started to provide computers to elementary schools as well and since the funds are limited, the department chooses the recipients based on their mean percentage score,” he said.
DepEd is also targeting to equip schools in remote areas in the provinces.
Lutoban Elementary School is about seven kilometers from the town's poblacion and about three kilometers away from the highway. (RMN/PIA-7 Negros Oriental)
Village chiefs urged to set up violence against women desks
by: Rachelle M. Nessia
DUMAGUETE CITY, March 18 (PIA) – The Provincial Commission on Women (PCW) here is urging the newly-elected barangay captains in Negros Oriental to put up a Violence Against Women (VAW) Desk in their villages as mandated by the Magna Carta for Women.
The guidelines for the set-up and operation of the VAW Desks were recently issued in December last year. “The VAW desks are not operating yet since the guidelines were issued just last December but we hope that the barangay officials will respond to this immediately,” said Judith Alpuerto of PCW.
The Magna Carta for Women mandates that each barangay should set up a VAW desk that will handle violence against women cases in the barangays. “The VAW Desk will assist women who are victims of violence in the barangays on what they need to do to report their case to the authorities,” said Alpuerto.
Phoebe Tan, who heads the PCW and the Silliman University's Center for Women Studies, said the commission plans to conduct gender-senstivity trainings for barangay officials and designated persons who will man the VAW desks.
The VAW Desk is seen to boost the province's campaign for heightened awareness of women's rights as spelled out in the Magna Carta for Women as local officials admit that majority of the women, and men, in the province still cling to traditional views about gender issues.
Tan, in the same forum, said: “I have observed during the Women's Summit here and even in my interaction with my students, that there is still a lack of deeper understanding of women issues...our interpretation of women policies and issues remain traditional and old-fashioned.”
Alpuerto hopes that the VAW Desks will further educate more women especially in the marginalized sectors where most violence against women incidents are left unreported.
“The victims are either too ashamed to come forward or are afraid of the stigma, or are threatened into silence,” said Alpuerto. (RMN/PIA-7 Negros Oriental)