CPSC hosts JICA-MEXT ITE textbook writing workshop in Manila

A team of officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan organized in Manila, Philippines an international workshop on Textbook Writing for Industrial Technology on November 30, 2009. CPSC as Philippine-based partner of this undertaking, was instrumental in convening 22 delegates from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Turkey, Kenya, Philippines and Japan to discuss about recent progress in the utilization of a textbook on industrial technology education which is part of a series of JICA-MEXT project on ITE.

The delegation was led by Prof. Dr. Hidetoshi Miyakawa of Aichi University of Technology Education who is closely associated with CPSC through its various programs and activities. The group provided venue for cross-sharing of experience in pilot-testing ITE textbooks as effective instructional materials written for highschool and vocational-level courses.

The workshop achieved a very positive result as the participants successfully deliberated upon the reports and action plans presented per country. JICA, through its project team, presented plans and projects along different technology areas on topics such as drawing, woodworking, electricity, machining, information and communication, work ethics and occupational safety and health. A lively discussion on how to implement proposed plans and projects to respective countries provided practical and guided insights for delegates.

The delegation also had the opportunity to visit various technical institutions in Manila, including the Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST) and Rizal Technological University (RTU) where interactive discussions ensued and survey were further conducted by the JICA team.

The delegation had the opportunity to participate in the international conference organized by CPSC, InWEnt and UNESCO-UNEVOC. Free instructional materials were given to workshop attendees including Filipino teachers on vocational education and industrial technology as part of promoting the use of said instructional materials.