Over 800 educators, education policymakers, directors and superintendents, deans of colleges and government and non-government institutions in the field of information communication technology (ICT) are expected to participate in the 3^rd National ICTs in Basic Education Congress in Cebu City to discuss issues on the use of ICT in primary and secondary education.

The event, slated at the Waterfront Hotel from September 10 to 11, 2008, is spearheaded by the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development (FIT-ED) which is celebrating its 10^th anniversary. The congress theme is "Teaching the Net Generation: Curriculum, Pedagogy, and the Challenge of 21st Century Learning.” The biennial event is jointly organized by the Department of Education (DepED) and the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU).

The DepEd under the leadership of Secretary Jesli Lapus has embraced technology as a very strategic tool to bridge the current information and education gap in the country.

Former Foreign Affairs Secretary and FIT-ED Chairman Roberto Romulo said that this is the largest gathering of Philippine educators and education stakeholders that focuses on ICTs in primary and secondary education. “While we at FIT-ED are fully committed to assist teachers and schools in utilizing ICTs, we would like to arrive at some consensus during the Congress on how to most effectively benchmark progress across the country as well as to formulate strategies for moving forward," said Romulo.

FIT-ED, a private, non-profit organization advocating the sustainable and responsible integration of ICT in local education, has been working closely with DepEd.

UPOU, which is the national center of excellence in open and distance education and the national e-learning competency center, has been FIT-ED’s partner in several teacher professional development programs in ICT and curriculum integration in basic education since 2000.

The three organizations will dissect local and international efforts in ICT for Education (ICT4E) so that the congress participants can critically examine what methods can work and can be adopted in the Philippines.

“What we want to achieve during the Congress is a convergence of priorities across the education sector, with particular focus on how to most effectively utilize ICTs to benefit our students and teachers,” said Lapus.

Lapus is expected to unveil DepEd’s 5-Year ICT4E Strategic Plan during the first plenary session of the Congress. This will be followed by the presentation by Assistant Secretary Jesus Mateo of the Department’s ICT competency standards for teachers. Also speaking at plenary are Dr. Philip Wong Siew Koon of the National Institute of Education in Singapore, Dr. Jan Herrington of the University of Woollongong in Australia and Prof. Patricia B. Arinto of UPOU.

Forty eight other presentations and demonstrations will be given at concurrent sessions, along three main tracks: 1) ICT integration into and across the elementary and secondary school curricula; 2) Teacher professional development and instructional support; and 3) Distance education.

The 3^rd National ICTs in Basic Education Congress is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Export Corporation – Philippines Division, Intel Technology Philippines, the International Container Terminal Services, Inc., Smart Communications, the British Council and the Philippine Star.

For more information on the Congress, visit www.fit-ed.org/congress2008.