Computerization comes to a remote high school in Ilocos Norte

Students from Caestebanan National High School could not contain their anticipation to click a mouse or surf the Net when they learned that their school is one of the recipients for the iSchool project of CICT. They shrieked, shouted and jumped for joy upon hearing the good news that befell their remote but quaint school.

Caestebanan is a remote barangay of Banna in the eastern part of the province of Ilocos Norte. The barangay is about 5 kilometers from the town proper and the road leading to the barangay is mostly unpaved. Farming is the main source of livelihood of the Caestebanans, but they are a hardy lot. Many residents have relatives abroad as overseas workers and the barangay is slowly transforming. New concrete houses dots the farmlands side by side with the old wooden houses.

Caestebanan boasts of having a national high school in its midst. Students come from nearby barangay and even the adjacent town of Nueva Era, Ilocos Norte. As of 2007, there are 250 students enrolled, taught by 8 teachers. The parents are contented with the education their children get from the school but the students dream of bigger things. They also want to experience what other students have experienced for some time now– to use a computer and surf the Net. The school does not have a single computer, and there is no computer shop anywhere near the barangay. They only see computers in their books.

All that will change when 21 computers will be deployed at CNHS. Through the initiative of the Congresswoman of the 1^st District of Ilocos Norte, Imee Marcos, the school was included in the list of 320 recipient high schools for the iSchools project for 2007. The school will also receive free Internet subscription for one year, a multi-function printer, a multimedia projector, wireless network connection including two air conditioning units. Teachers and selected students will undergo training on the use of the computers, and how the computers can enrich the teaching-learning process.

The municipal officials headed by Mayor Carlito Abadilla expressed relief that finally, his dream of computerization of schools in Banna is coming to reality. Afterall, Mayor Abadilla is a computer science graduate. “Computers have been given to schools in other municipalities, but none was given to Banna,” Abadilla lamented during the community mobilization. “But good things come to those who patiently wait and persevere,” he added. Mayor Abadilla provided financial assistance for the refitting of the computer laboratory and donated one air conditioning unit.

The parents-teachers-community association also pledged their all out support for the sustainability of the project. Together with the teachers of CNHS, they constructed the computer tables and donated the steel door for the computer room. The students also helped in cleaning and painting of the room and the computer tables. Mr. Antonio Velasco, the school principal, expressed confidence that the computer laboratory will be “100% ready” before the expected deployment schedule. One of his main concerns though is the absence of an Internet service provider in the municipality. One option that they are looking into is the use of 3G.

With a supportive mayor who is also an IT professional, and parents and local officials who are committed to the development of the school, Caestebanan National High School is well on its way to cyber-education.