The Department of Information Science and Technology (IST) of the School of Sciences and Engineering paid a courtesy visit to the Department of Education - Schools Division of Bulacan (SDO Bulacan) last January 16 and explored possibilities for expanding IST's extension program.

Representing SDO Bulacan were Rowena T. Quiambao, CESE, Officer-in-Charge, Schools Division Superintendent; Dr. Cecilia S. Custodio, Chief Education Supervisor, School Governance and Operations; Dr. Joel I. Vasallo, Education Program Supervisor, Technology-Livelihood Education; and Bryan Amiel F. de Jesus, Senior Education Program Specialist, Social Mobilization and Networking.

IST, led by its Chair, Mr. Cyrus Paolo M. Buenafe, presented the accomplishments of their extension program that started in 2019 with three DepEd public schools under the jurisdiction of SDO Bulacan: Virginia Ramirez-Cruz National High School (VRCNHS), Francisco Mendoza Memorial Elementary School (FMMES), and Jose J. Mariano Memorial High School (JJMMHS). This was followed by a discussion regarding capacity building and ICT modernization initiatives for SDO Bulacan, which comprises 539 DepEd public schools and more than 18,000 teaching and non-teaching personnel. Among the initiatives planned is a pilot training program to equip teachers with the necessary skills to deliver ICT specialization subjects under the technical-vocational-livelihood (TVL) track of DepEd, with the goal to set up SDO Bulacan’s first ICT public school eventually.

Together with Mr. Buenafe were Mr. Anthony A. Saul, IST Laboratory Administrator, and Ms. Shirley Y. Tolentino, IST Program Officer.

For more information about IST’s extension programs, please visit facebook.com/uapist or email [email protected].