Representatives Julieta Cortuna and Mariano Piamonte of the A-TEACHER partylist organization want basic education modernized in the country by computerizing teaching and learning in elementary and high school campuses nationwide.

In filing House Bill 3512, Cortuna and Piamonte noted that schools badly need to catch up with the rapid growth and changes in information technology so that  Filipino students, which are the country’s future leaders,  would be able to competitively meet the challenges of the global economy.

Cortuna and Piamonte are partylist allies of the National Unity Party (NUP) under the Coalition for Peace and Development.

"Since modern technology needs to be dealt with at a pace to match its progress, it is necessary for schools to be equipped and modernized in order for them to cope with the challenges of today's computerized world," Cortuna said.



She noted how modern technology has made obsolete the old ways that  people used to interact and communicate with each other.

“Social media, for instance, has changed the way people communicate and is bringing the old snail mail is close to extinction," Cortuna said.

Under the  A-TEACHER bill, the Department of Education (DepEd) is mandated to provide every elementary and high school campus nationwide with a computer laboratory consisting of at least 20 desktop or laptop computers that will be used to incorporate modern technology in teaching basic education.


The budget necessary for the implementation of HB 3512 in public schools shall be included in the annual allocation of the DepEd and of  State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).

Private schools, meanwhile, will have to shoulder the expenses to implement the measure.

The DepEd is also required to computerize manual instruction modules and lessons in math, science and other relevant subjects under the proposed law, Piamonte said.

He said the bill also provides  training programs for teachers to enable them to adapt to the new computerized system. 

Under the measure,  the DepEd shall keep a computerized database that contains, among other data, the students’ percentages of passing in every class and every subject, Piamonte said.