Sagay City Enhances Education in Remote Areas with DOST E-Libraries

SAGAY CITY, Negros Occidental – Public elementary schools in two island communities and an upland village in Sagay City have recently received a significant educational resource boost. The schools are now equipped with computerized information kiosks, also known as electronic (e)-libraries, provided by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) under its Starbooks project.

According to Philippines News Agency, Mayor Narciso Javelosa Jr. expressed his appreciation for the initiative, highlighting its potential to aid students in science-related projects and activities. The official turnover of these e-libraries was represented by Councilor Perfecto Marañon on behalf of the Mayor during a ceremony at the Department of Education-Schools Division Office of Sagay City.

The DOST’s Starbooks project, aimed at supporting geographically isolated and economically challenged communities, is actively being implemented in Sagay City. This initiative is in collaboration with the Satoca Agrarian Reform Cooperative. The beneficiaries of this project include Matabas Elementary School, Molocaboc II Elementary School, and Molocaboc Integrated School on Molocaboc Island, as well as Suyac Elementary School on the mangrove island of Suyac. Additionally, Manara Elementary School, primarily serving learners from the Ata community in Barangay Puey, is another recipient.

Schools Division Superintendent Marsette Sabbalucca, in a separate statement, noted that the introduction of e-libraries would infuse technology into classroom teaching and learning processes in these remote schools. Starbooks, as stand-alone computerized information kiosks or offline digital libraries, offer students and faculty access to a vast array of science and technology information resources. These resources are available in various formats, including text, audio, and video, and are housed in specially designed ‘pods’ featuring a user-friendly interface. Each Starbooks kiosk contains hundreds of thousands of digitized science and technology documents, allowing users to print information directly at the kiosks.