If you shouted from a cliff in Batanes, they say someone in Taiwan might actually hear you. Locals also say the radio waves from Taiwan can be clearer on Batanes radio than those from mainland Luzon. Rightfully so, the capital Basco is about 280 kilometers north of Aparri, Cagayan, while it is only about 190 kilometers south of Taiwan.
The Batanes island group, the Philippines’ smallest province in terms of both population and land area, is out in the blue and, worse, at the periphery of the island nation. Because of that, Ivatans have been left out in communications technology, as lines for services like the Web are still slow or inconsistent at best, or just nonexistent.
Technologies like the Web play a central role in information flow, and the education sector has integrated Internet use in the practice of research. However, in Batanes, access is measly, exclusive only to provincial centers.
Thus, while the Internet has become a way of life for students in urban centers, some schools in the northern tip of the Philippines have no internet connection. Students therefore rely only on books, which can go outdated fast these days.
Therein is the gap. The youth need reliable, timely resources to stay informed, but they have no choice.
The Science and Technology Information Institute (STII), the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) information arm, is slowly addressing that gap in the province through installing one item in different municipalities.
STARBOOKS, or the Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosk Station, is a stand-alone research kiosk that permanently stores information and can be upgraded and accessed regularly without the use of Internet.
Officials of the DOST term it the “library in a box,” whose treasure trove of data is just a few clicks away and will, in the long run, stoke interest in science and technology courses. It targets poor, rural and far-flung locations.
At a February launch at Batanes National Science High School (BNSHS), Gov. Vicente Gato recounted his experience as a student. Access to information was limited during his student days, he said.
He explained the STARBOOKS signals a change in the trend, as students will have no difficulty accessing information they needed. It was echoed by Basco Mayor Demetrius Paul Narag when he said the tool will help students get relevant sci-tech information.
During one of the monitoring trips, (is she the principal?) Florence Cielo of Itbayat National Agricultural High School (INAHS) said STARBOOKS enhanced students’ entrepreneurial skills and teachers’ competency. Thanking the DOST, she admitted to using the kiosk during her spare time to search for other technologies which could benefit the school.
Meanwhile, (is she the principal?) Vangie Castillo of BNSHS said STARBOOKS became a must in their school because its niche is S&T information. She said the school planned to establish a network with more computers in their library so that more students can benefit from the STARBOOKS at any given time.
The library’s impact also goes beyond the school, the DOST believes, as the device is available to anyone, even non-students. Even farmers, entrepreneurs and researchers in the area can use it.
To date, STII and the Cagayan Valley’s DOST office have installed eight STARBOOKS in BNSHS, INAHS, Sabtang National School of Fisheries, Mahatao National High School, Itbud Integrated School, Batanes State College, the Department of Agriculture-Batanes Experiment Station and the local government unit building in Uyugan.