Inabanga paves learners’ scitech

foundation in DOST STARBOOKS

INABANGA, Bohol (PIA)—Laying the foundation for a dream of emerging as the Silicon Valley of Bohol, Inabanga, in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in putting digital science and technology libraries in online and offline kiosks for all its elementary and high schools.

“That is 33 in all: 16 kiosks for elementary and high schools in Inabanga north, and 11 elementary and 2 high schools for Inabanga south,” says Bohol Provincial Science and Technology Center Director Vina Antopina, during the orientation and turn-over of the Science and Technology Academic and Research-based Openly Operated Kiosks (STARBOOKS).

The LGU Inabanga and DOST partnership is the second local government unit in Bohol, after Balilihan, to invest in preparing a strong science, technology and innovation (STI) foundation in kids by allowing them access to the country’s first science and technology digital library.

“With libraries getting unpopular in the age of interactive learning, STARBOOKS act as your libraries,” Antopina told over a hundred teachers, principals and information technology technicians gathered at the Inabanga Gym for the orientation and turn-over of the library in a kiosk.

“The kiosk, which every school in Inabanga gets, packs its own wireless fidelity router that makes the digital library accessible by any student with a smart phone for their research and their teachers a chance to craft lesson plans, research for class topics and access interactive topics,” DOST Bohol ST center Engr Meljun Signe, details the capabilities of the digital data kiosk.

A town that has since lain dormant over the years, Mayor Jose Jono Jumamoy mapped out a plan to bring life to the town, through innovation in science and technology.

In 2019, the town started to build its community college, which the locals envisioned to be an institution that would start science, technology and innovations.

And when towns in Bohol got into a flurry on erecting community colleges offering a delectable manu of courses to serve anybody interested in schooling, Inabanga trod on the road nobody would dare.

Unlike other community colleges that offer regular courses offered in major colleges, Inabanga College of Arts and Sciences (INBCAS) opened for Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, with specializations.

Linux administration, computer programming, source coding, leading to Artificial Intelligence, a course that would bring our students the kind of job that demands higher pay, where they can command the kind of pay they get, said Frank Baylosis, InbCAS administrator said.

Inabanga does not have much resources, we can not waste our money to those who are not serious, we have great plans for our graduates and we want them to have a good future, Mayor Jumamoy shared.

To have these kind of students that can be admitted in the program, it is important for them to have a good science, technology and innovation foundation, and STARBOOKs can help that, Antopina pointed out..

We were looking for partners who are willing to adopt to science technology and innovation, and Inabanga, with a young mayor, took the challenge, she added.

Many think of STI as only for big cities, think of smart cities, but STI is the future and we will push forward STI for the people, DOST OIC Regional Director Tristan Abando shared.

Inabanga public school’s district supervisors Felipeneri Calape (Inb North) and Romulo Cenabre (Inb South) promised that they will make sure that schools use the facility and to keep these to increase STI among pupils and learners to elevate consciousness and spark interest.

Attending the turnover were DOST 7 Abando, DOST Bohol Antopina, Mayor Jumamoy, Vice Mayor Josephine Socorro Jumamoy, council members, and CVisNet Foundation. (PIABohol)

SCITECH ENABLED STARBOOKS. Inabanga partnered with the DOST in Bohol in the provision of 33 digital scitech libraries for all public schools to lay the solid foundation for students who will have to take up information technology courses leading to programming at the InbCAS. (PIABOhol)

TEACHING TEACHERS. DOST allowed teachers of Inabanga public schools to use and explore the STARBOOKS for the first time, as the town partnered with DOST in providing the digitized science and technology resource for students and pupils. (PIABohol)