TAGUIG GRADUATION RITES ON LIVE VIDEO STREAM; ZERO FEES

Taguig City has come up with a hi-tech, pioneering public service to its constituents: e-Graduation.

It means live video streaming of graduation ceremonies in its public elementary and high schools via the Internet.

Internet has spawned a host of video streaming services, including e-Burol by a memorial services company, e-Visit launched by jail authorities and others. And now it’s Taguig’s turn with e-Graduation.

With the program in place, Mayor Lani Cayetano said next week’s commencement exercises in the city can be viewed on live video stream through the city’s website, not only in the Philippines but anywhere in the world.

“We are introducing this innovation so that friends and family members who will not be able to join our students during graduation can watch the graduation ceremonies online,” Mayor Lani said.

This concept, the Mayor said, would be of benefit to family members of the graduating students who are either working or residing abroad.

The mayor said that “E-Graduation 2012” is part of her effort to bring education at the hearts of Taguigenos. So far, Taguig City is the only local government unit in Metro Manila offering live stream coverage in the city’s public elementary and high schools.

Simultaneous graduation proceedings will start on March 27 as early as 6:00 a.m. at the Signal Village Elementary School. All graduation ceremonies will be covered.

Links to the live stream are posted on Taguig’s official Website, www.taguig.gov.ph or viewers can directly access www.taguig.gov.ph/egrad.

The links will also be posted at the Taguig City official Facebook page,www.facebook.com/taguigcity.  Simultaneous broadcasts will be available at the Website.

Atty. Darwin Icay, chief of the Public Information Office, expects that with intensive preparations, the pioneering e-program would not suffer from any technical glitches.

But this early, he said the local government is already looking for ways to improve the live streaming service in the graduation ceremonies next year.

Meanwhile, the City Government also assures free graduation for all its public schools this year.

Apart from graduation expenses to be shouldered by the local government, Mayor Lani likewise made sure that all graduates  will be provided with free togas, photo diploma with diploma jacket, and yearbooks. The local government will also sponsor the flowers, sound system, and food to ease the economic burden of the families.

This year, a total of 17,613 students will graduate, representing 10,756 elementary and 6,857 high school students.

The Department of Education (DepEd) prohibits collection of “any graduation fees or any kind of contribution for the graduation rites.”

As in the past year, the city government will also give financial assistance to Top 10 students of the graduating class. Likewise, the most outstanding student of each section in all levels from elementary and high school will be given financial support to motivate them to pursue their studies.

According to Mayor Lani, the city government is providing financial support to students because she wants deserving students to continue their education.

“I understand the importance of education. I also recognize that many students do not enroll in further studies due to different reasons. This is the reason why I and the rest of our allies in the city council laid out education programs that would give opportunities to our Taguig youth,” Mayor Lani pointed out.

The Cayetano administration has implemented significant reforms in education, including the P200 million scholarship fund allotted this year, compared with P100 million allocated in 2011.

Apart from unveiling several public school buildings, and hiring additional teachers, the city government also implemented Taguig Learner’s Certificate, transferring 1,000 public high school students to various private schools in the city to improve quality of education.

Public school students in Taguig were also given complete uniforms, bags, and shoes as well as notebooks, pencils, and paper.

Undoubtedly these programs could prompt many Facebook netizens to give their “Like!”

May regalong hi-tech na serbisyo ang Taguig para sa mga mamamayan ng lungsod: e-Graduation.

Sa e-Graduation, lahat ng graduation sa mga pampublikong paaralan sa lungsod, maging elementarya o high school ay mapapanood sa pamamagitan ng Internet.

Dahil sa Internet, maraming nagsulputang serbisyo gamit ang video streaming, tulad ng e-Burol ng isang kumpanya ng memorial plan, o ang e-Visit na inilunsad ng mga jail authorities. Pasok naman ang Taguig, sa kanyang e-Graduation.

Ayon kay Mayor Lani Cayetano, dahil dito ay pwedeng mapanood ang  mga graduation rites sa mga paaralan sa lungsod sa pamamagitan ng opisyal na website ng pamahalaang lungsod, at hindi lamang dito sa Pilipinas kundi maging saang lupalop ng mundo.

“Inilunsad namin ito para ang mga kaibigan at pamilya ng magtatapos na hindi makakadalo ng personal sa seremonya ay pwedeng sumama sa pamamagitan ng panonood online,” ani Mayor Lani.

Malaking tulong ang programa, anang Mayor, lalo na sa kapamilya ng graduating student na nagtatrabaho o nakatira na sa ibang bansa.

Ang “e-Graduation 2012”, ani Mayor Lani, ay bahagi ng kanyang pagsikap na ilapit ang edukasyon sa puso ng mga Taguiguenos. Sa ngayon, Taguig pa lamang buong Metro Manila ang nagbibigay ng libreng video streaming ng graduation sa mga pampublikong paaralan.

Lahat ng gaganaping graduation sa March 27, na ang iba’y magsisimula sa alas 6 ng umaga pa lamang tulad sa Signa Village Elementary School, ay mapapanood sa video streaming.

Ang mga link para makapunta sa live stream ay ilalagay sa opisyal na website ng Taguig o www.taguig.gov.ph, o kaya’y pwedeng diretsong puntahan ng mga manonood ang www.taguig.gov.ph/egrad.

Matatagpuan din ang mga naturang links sa official Facebook page ng Taguig (www.facebook.com/taguigcity). Pwede ring mapanood ang sabayang video steraming sa naturang website.

Bunga ng masusing preparasyon, umaasa si Atty. Darwin Icay—hepe ng Public Information Office—na walang magiging problema sa video streaming. Ngayon pa lamang, humahanap na sila ng paraan para mas maganda ang e-Graduation sa susunod na taon, ani Icay.

Samantala, tiniyak muli ng Pamahalaang Lungsod na walang dapat bayaran sa graduation sa mga pampublikong paaralan sa lungsod.

Bukod sa gastos sa graduation na sasagutin ng lokal na pamahalaan, sinabi ni Mayor Lani na bibigyan rin ng libreng toga, photo at diploma na kasama na ang jacket nito, at ng yearbook.

Kasama pa rin sa ibibigay ng lokal na pamahalaan ang mga bulaklak, sound system na gagamitin sa graduation at pati na rin ang pagkain—ang lahat ng ito upang magtatapos upang maibsan ang dinadalang pasanin ng pamilya ng mga magtatapos.

Umaabot sa 17, 613 ang kabuuang bilang ng mga magtatapos sa mga pampublikong paaralan ng Taguig ngayong taon, o 10,756 sa elementarya at 6,857 naman sa highschool.

Ipinapagbawal ng Department of Education ang pangungulekta ng graduation fees o anumang kontribusyon para sa mga gaganaping graduation sa mga pampublikong paaralan.

Tulad ng nakalipas na taon, bibigyan pa rin ng pamahalaang lokal ng financial assistance and mga Top 10 sa mga estudyanteng magtatapos at maging ang lahat ng mapipiling most outstanding students sa lahat ng section sa lahat ng lebel mula elementarya at high school upang maengganyo silang tapusin ang pag-aaral.

Ayon kay Mayor Lani, ginagawa ito ng pamahalaang lungsod upang matulungang makatapos ng pag-aaral ang mga nagsisikap na estudyante.

“Batid ko ang kahalagahan ng edukasyon. Alam ko rin ang maraming dahilah kaya di nakakapagpatuloy ng pag-aaral ang marami. Ito ang dahilan kaya ako at ang aking mga kasama sa city council ay gumagawa ng paraan upang mabigyan ng tamang oportunidad ang ating mga kabataan,” sabi ni Mayor Lani.

Ngayong taon maraming inilatag na reporma sa edukasyon ang pamahalaang lungsod, kasama na dito ang paglalaan ng umaabot sa P200 milyon para sa scholarship, na mas malaki sa P100 milyong inilagak para dito noong nakaraang taon.

Bukod pa rito, ilang pampublikong paaralan ang naitayo na, at nakakuha na ng karagdagang mga guro sa Taguig. Naipatupad din ang Taguig Learner’s Certificate kung saan umaabot sa 1,000 estudyante ng pampublikong high school ang nailipat sa pribadong paaralan.

Nabigyan din ng libreng uniporme, bag, at sapatos, pati na rin notebook, lapis at papel ang mga estudyante sa mga pampublikong paaralan sa lungsod.

Kaya kung lagi kang nasa Facebook, di malayong bigyan mo ang mga programang ito ng iyong “Like”!