To infinity and beyond: PhilSA, Mayor Abby discuss possible partnerships in space education

Officials of the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) recently met with Makati City Mayor Abby Binay to discuss possible partnerships on space education to young Makatizens.

Mayor Abby Binay with PhilSA officials

Binay welcomed Philippine Space Agency Director Atty. Noelle Riza Castillo and officials of the Space Policy and International Cooperation Bureau - Kritzman Caballero, Mafney Ditapat, Joshua Emmanuel Hagad, Ana Margarita Ysabelle Montenegro, and Paolo Samoza - at the City Hall where they presented educational materials such as children's books about space to the mayor.

Some possible partnerships tackled during the meeting include the introduction of localized instructional materials and books in space sciences and future book tours for Makatizen students.

The unified space agency is defined by the Philippine Space Act (Republic Act No. 11363) which was signed into law on Aug. 8, 2019, by Former President Rodrigo Duterte with the intent to manage and operate the decentralized space program of the Philippine government, which was handled by various agencies of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The agency is mandated to focus on six areas — national security and development, hazard management and climate studies, space research and development, space industry capacity building, space education and awareness, and international cooperation.

For Makatizen youth

The PhilSA meeting was just one of the city government's newest proactive efforts this year aimed at improving the quality of education of its youth.

On Jan. 26, Binay said a total of 400 traditional classrooms in Makati City are set to be converted into "smart classrooms" by the city government where traditional classrooms will be installed with interactive whiteboards, notebook tablets, and unlimited internet access by this year.

The city government has already distributed 200 Hybrid Interactive Boards (HIBs) or 50 percent of its target.

Binay said 119 HIBs have been installed in elementary schools and 81 in secondary schools.

"Each HIB unit is equipped with Adroid 11.0 intelligent operating system and built with 5G wireless internet access with WiFi hotspot, and a three-way USB interface support. It also has a 4-core 64-bit CPU, a 4K touchscreen whiteboard with multi-gesture writing features, wireless co-screening with multiple screening, and remote snapshot. Its 8-array microphones have a 10-meter pickup distance for convenient video conferencing," she explained.

"We aim to incorporate IoT (Internet of Things) devices into 400 smart classrooms and expand this initiative in the near future. Our goal is to continuously provide quality education and modern instructional resources that meet the demands of the 21st century," she added.

Learners will also have access to notebook tablets connected to the school's Learning Management System (LMS), aside from an HIB unit featuring remote classroom capabilities.

The internet access will also be unlimited for all students and teachers during classes inside the smart classrooms. Charging stations will be installed in the schools to ensure continuous use of the students' digital devices during learning activities.

Students will each have a notebook tablet on the desk, allowing them to directly submit answers to exercises, worksheets, or exams provided by their teachers.

Meanwhile, learning analytics tools integrated into the LMS will help reduce the administrative workload for teachers in assessing and evaluating the students' performance.

“The assessment scores of students can be accurately reported through a smart classroom’s HIB,” Binay said.

“This approach will save time, decrease paperwork, reduce teachers' administrative burdens, and allow more time for student-centered activities and the development of teaching strategies and innovations in their smart classrooms," the three-term mayor noted.