Manila – As part of its continuing commitment to promoting innovative education programs in the Philippines, Toshiba has teamed up with the Ayala Foundation to support the Text2Teach project. The essence of the program is to use TV to bring high-quality lessons into public school classrooms, and Toshiba is making that possible. The company recently donated 303 units of its 32” Toshiba POWER TVs to the program, handing them over to Education Secretary Bro. Armin C. Luistro, FSC, and over the three years to 2014 will donate a total of 853 TVs in all.
The Text2Teach project aims to get high-quality, video-based teaching materials on English, Math and Science into elementary school classrooms. Each video is 3-5 minutes long and accompanied by a lesson guide for teachers, who also receive training on how to use the program. The videos are available on-line and are downloaded by the teacher and stored on a high-capacity memory mobile phone. The phone is attached to a TV set for viewing in the classroom, where teachers use the videos to teach essential lessons and to stimulate exchanges in class.
Two independent evaluation studies have shown that Text2Teach is an effective teaching tool that has made teaching and learning more interesting and effective. Children exposed to the Text2Teach have recorded higher learning gains and schools in the program have reported lower absenteeism. Text2Teach is now used in more than 500 public elementary schools around the country, and now, in phase 4 of the project, Toshiba will make sure it is brought into many more.
Toshiba’s support for education programs in the Philippines dates back to 2007 and its sponsorship of the “Gearing-Up Internet Literacy and Access for Students” (GILAS) project, under which the company, then too in partnership with the Ayala Foundation, donated 440 notebook PCs to public high schools in Laguna Province over four years. GILAS made important contributions to improving computer literacy among students in public high schools. In its new program, Toshiba is supporting cultivation of basic skills, the bedrock of all future educational achievements, among elementary school children throughout the Philippines
Toshiba is guided by a corporate philosophy rooted in the concept of “Committed to People, Committed to the Future.” In practical terms, this means that Toshiba’s approach to management is grounded in its recognition of corporate social responsibility and a determination to contribute to society as a “corporate citizen of planet earth”. Toshiba contributes to society and to the communities in which it operates by supporting programs that promote social welfare, community development and science and technology education for young people.
About Toshiba
Toshiba is a world-leading diversified manufacturer, solutions provider and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products and systems. Toshiba Group brings innovation and imagination to a wide range of businesses: digital products, including LCD TVs, notebook PCs, retail solutions and MFPs; electronic devices, including semiconductors, storage products and materials; industrial and social infrastructure systems, including power generation systems, smart community solutions, medical systems and escalators & elevators; and home appliances.
Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 550 consolidated companies, with 202,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing 6.1 trillion yen (US$74 billion). Visit Toshiba’s web site atwww.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm
Press Contact:
Lucille Machuca
Toshiba Asia Pacific Pte.,Ltd.
Manila Representative Office
Tel: 819-1048
Email: lucilia_machuca@tasia.toshiba.co.jp
