Opening Remarks

during the APEC ICT4E Expo held at Hilton Cebu on 9-10 June 2010

ICT4E: International Cooperation in Technology for Education

Mabuhay!

This is the local greeting of Filipinos, which in this case was used to mean “welcome”. However, its literal
meaning is actually “to live” or “long live”, a concept that I want all of you to appreciate.

Indeed it is a good time to be alive. Among other things, our time will be defined by great developments
in Information and Communication Technology. ICT, as it is better known, has opened up countless
opportunities for all aspects of life, to the point that living without it seems inconceivable. Not long ago,
only the techiest of professionals have mobile phones. Now, if we unintentionally leave our mobile
phone at home, we feel immensely disconnected and will probably go back home to get it. As another
example, I can guess that more than 90% of all of you here have laptops or netbooks or iPads. I’m sure
one of the first things you did when you settled in your seats was to check if there was Wi-Fi in the
room. Indeed, whether you are a digital “native” or a digital “immigrant”, ICT is quickly becoming second
nature to all of us.

This wonderful phenomenon is the reason we are all gathered here today. All of us believe that it has
great potential for education, thus the term ICT4E: ICT for Education. Many of us here are witnesses to
the transformative power of ICT in education.

This transformative power has been sweeping the globe for quite some time now. Developed economies
are leading the way in making ICT more useful both for teachers and students alike. Developing
economies on the other hand, are finding cost-effective and innovative uses for a wide range of new and
old technologies. The same is true in the Asia-Pacific region, as you shall learn later during the plenary
sessions.

It is with this thought that the Department of Education, and the entire Government of the Philippines,
is proud to implement the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Information and Communication
Technology for Education Exposition. APEC, as the major sponsor of this expo, recognizes that ICT4E has
a major role to play in Human Resource Development throughout the region.

We have prepared an intense 2-day conference that aims to foster greater sharing of experiences in
ICT4E. Experts from a wide variety of institutions across the globe have devoted their time to convey
their unique practices and at the same time, learn from peers with different development backgrounds.
Ample time for discussions and networking will be available to maximize our time together. Also, project
and product exhibits from both public and private sectors were prepared to provide in-depth
perspective on numerous ICT4E initiatives.

We structured the expo to cover all aspects of ICT4E, namely: ICT for Pedagogy, ICT for Professional
Development and ICT for Governance and Management. ICT for Pedagogy includes curriculum
integration and other concepts that deal with the transfer of knowledge and skills from the teacher to
the learner, with special focus on circumstances of the learner. ICT for Professional Development
includes training for teachers, which range from the most basic to the most advanced topics, all in an
effort to ensure that teachers and their methods are up-to-date, efficient and effective. ICT for
Governance and Management takes care of the “back-end”, things that are not visible in classrooms but
are nonetheless responsible for the smooth implementation of classes and efficient operation of
institutions.

The expo also encompasses education across all levels. Topics cover basic, higher, technical, alternative
and lifelong education. ICT for Basic education covers preschool, elementary and secondary schooling.
Higher education covers tertiary and post-graduate studies. Technical education covers skills training
and livelihood education. Lastly, alternative and lifelong learning encompasses both non-formal and
continuing forms of education.

On behalf of the Government of the Philippines, I am proud to announce that we have “all bases
covered”, so to speak. The Philippine Education Highway encompasses all levels of education. It
maximizes time spent in schools and provides adequate bridges between different educational paths.
You shall learn later that our partners from the Science Education Institute, Commission on Higher
Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Commission on Information
and Communications Technology all have programs that aim to improve post-basic education. The
Department of Education is likewise making the correct strategic investments in ICT4E to ensure the
most cost-effective transition to an ICT-integrated learning environment in basic education is achieved.

Before I officially open the expo, I would like to suggest a subtitle for our event. Instead of its published
meaning, I would like to propose that everybody here define ICT4E as “International Cooperation in
Technology for Education”. Let us not discuss technology per se; instead, let us go through each of the
sessions guided with the desire to uplift not just our own economies, but the entire APEC region. If my
proposal is acceptable to you, I believe that this expo will be a success that shall be defined not by the
number of participants present here today, but by the lasting reforms that will come about long after we
have left this beautiful island paradise of Mactan, Cebu.

With this, I hope I have set the tone for the next two days. I congratulate the organizing committee and I
extend my appreciation to all our co-sponsors. Of course, I send my deepest gratitude to all of you here,
who have invested time and effort to make this expo a great success already.

They say that “innovation feeds upon itself”. It is with this thought that I urge you to make the most of
the collective experience of the group of experts I see in this hall. Let us participate passionately in the
sessions and build fruitful and enduring relationships. Last but not least, try to experience Filipino
culture through the Cebuanos, and I bet that you will no longer want to leave the Philippines.

Thank you very much and mabuhay!