INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION. North Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco speaks during a meeting with the provincial school board on Friday (Oct. 30, 2020). The governor supports the use of the 'Digitalized Utilization of Materials Accessed through Kilometer-radius Intranet or DUMAKI to make online learning much easier through a free intranet. (Photo courtesy of North Cotabato PIO)
COTABATO CITY – North Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco on Friday expressed support for innovations that would boost education under the “new normal” in the province.
Catamco made the assurance after the Provincial School Board (PSB) issued the green light Wednesday for Project “DUMAKI” or the Digitalized Utilization of Materials Accessed through Kilometer-radius Intranet.
According to the Department of Education (DepEd) in North Cotabato, DUMAKI aims to use technology to improve the delivery of various learning modalities amid the coronavirus disease pandemic.
"This is timely and very relevant for our students,” Catamco said, as she addressed the school board during Friday’s meeting at the provincial capital in Kidapawan City.
She said the DUMAKI initiative would enable students to be globally competitive.
“We should start from small beginnings, and using the technology is better than doing nothing,” the governor said of the project, which is estimated to cost PHP50 million sourced from the Special Education Fund (SEF).
DepEd officials said the initiative entails the purchase of more than 5,000 tablet computers, access point antennas, hotspot router, outdoor cables, some 20-30 feet tri-leg poles, and solar power.
Under the initiative, beneficiaries from the kindergarten up to senior high school will be identified under a set of criteria prepared by DepEd.
Dr. Isagani dela Cruz, North Cotabato Schools Division Superintendent (SDS), said DepEd would be using the Intranet as this technology does not entail costs for learners in terms of prepaid load.
"The project makes teaching and learning much easier and that the students would easily remember their school lessons,” he added.
Dela Cruz said the project will run parallel with modular learning. (PNA)
