Ayala Foundation, the City of Manila, Department of Education Division-Manila, and the Asian Terminals Inc. have signed a memorandum of agreement to launch <code/it> program at the Manila City Hall, in Manila last Friday.
The <code/it> program aims to instill the basic concepts of computer science and programming to Manila's 73 public schools in 16 districts ranging from pupils' grade three to six.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno stated that the program marks a new beginning to spread digital awareness in public schools.
"Ngayon ay simula ng pagpapalaganap ng bagong teknolohiya sa mga pampublikong paaralan dito sa lungsod ng Maynila," Manila Mayor, Isko Moreno said.
Ayala Foundation's successful 12 public schools nationwide have made them set their sights in Manila as part of their vision to equip digital skills to every Filipino child.
"In Ayala Foundation, we believe that every Filipino child deserves digital skills that will make them relevant in the workplace of tomorrow," Chief Information Officer & Senior Director Ayala Foundation, Vivien Reyes said.
Another aim of the program is also to help the new generation of millennials and Gen Z to find their purpose.
"The millennials and the zillennials are a generation of purpose," Ayala Foundation President, Ruel Maranan said.
The program will be implemented through a holistic approach called "train the trainors" approach by leveraging the Department of Educations' approved learning modules.
Teachers will undergo a three-day intensive workshop on how to teach basic programming. The teachers will teach their newly acquired programming knowledge to fellow teachers until this knowledge trickles down to the students.
Laptops, tablets, program manuals, and reference materials will be provided to each schools to create a modern classroom ambiance and maintain high quality education.
Ayala Foundation will also establish a support system through continuous monitoring and periodical sessions to all the public schools involved to ensure the program's effectiveness are maintained.
The program will last for two years and is scheduled to start on the academic year 2020-21.
