BAGUIO CITY – Elementary school students in far-flung Batan Island, Batanes will now have access to the country’s first and only curriculum-based channel, Knowledge Channel as SKY and Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. (KCFI) donated educational tools to four schools in Luzon’s northernmost province on June 13.
Basco Central, Diptan, Mahatao, and Ivana elementary schools in Batan will benefit from Knowledge Channel’s rich educational material via SKY’s direct-to-home (DTH) TV service, SKYdirect. The said schools are part of the pool of beneficiary schools that will receive the SKYdirect Prepaid kits this year, as determined by SKYdirect and KCFI.
Antonio S. Ventosa, SKY Cable Corporation Chief Operating Officer shared in an interview, “Education is an identified need in our society today and SKY has a unique opportunity to provide access to content together with Knowledge Channel. I wish that we’d be able to reach out to as many schools as possible in the Philippines. And there would be a time that every kid in the country if we count 10 years from now, will say ‘I first learned something through the Knowledge Channel content.’ Ventosa further quipped “That would really be a good achievement knowing that content is a great foundation for the future learning of Filipino children.”
According to KCFI Founder and President Rina Lopez-Bautista, new technologies have enabled Knowledge Channel’s educational materials to reach more areas through SKY’s facilities.
“SKYdirect is a very important platform for us because it allows us to be anywhere in the Philippines through a small satellite dish and a box. Students, teachers, and even communities can learn so much from the Knowledge Channel,” Lopez-Bautista said.
Abegail Farrah Alueta, a grade four teacher from Diptan Elementary school, said Ivatan families highly value access to education. The province’s isolation from the Luzon island and poor Internet connectivity, however, restricts the up-to-date learning tools that their students can acquire.
“It is natural for Ivatan children to be studious. With new technology available, their interest will become even greater,” said Alueta.
The students and teachers from the four schools now have LIVE access to Knowledge Channel’s curriculum-based programs designed by former Dep-Ed secretary Dr. Fe Hidalgo, who is now a Knowledge Channel consultant.
Dr. Hidalgo conducted the training among teachers that consisted of various multimedia learning tools of Knowledge Channel as well as how to install the SKYdirect Prepaid kits. Bags with school supplies were also distributed courtesy of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation.
As part of a continuing effort to serve as an access in bringing educational tools to more areas nationwide, SKY furthers Knowledge Channel’s thrust of literacy by sharing its enriching content to more areas using the extensive reach of SKYdirect and SKYcable.
Before the direct-to-home technology was utilized, people in remote provinces like Batanes had limited access to up-to-date information due to poor TV reception and lack of TV cable services. Today, Knowledge Channel is viewed by over five million learners and more than 50,000 teachers and principals in 64 provinces. Over the years, SKYcable has provided more than 1,000 schools with access to Knowledge Channel and its learning materials.
SKY Cable Corporation, a subsidiary of ABS-CBN, is a leading cable and broadband technology provider in the Philippines. It introduced cable television to Filipinos in 1990, and has been a frontrunner in technology and cable TV content by being the first to design a highly customized viewing experience among subscribers, and offering the most number of HD channels.
By HENT
