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STATE AUDITOR, PINURI ANG DOST-STARBOOKS

Pinuri ng Commission on Audit (COA) ang inobasyon ng Department of Science and Technology (DOST) na STARBOOKS o Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosk Station, ang kauna-unahang digital science library sa bansa na hindi nangangailangang kumunekta sa Internet.

Ayon sa nasabing ulat ng COA para sa taong 2014, katangi-tangi ang STARBOOKS sapagkat ito ay nagbibigay ng pagkakataon sa mga mag-aaral lalo na para sa mga nasa malalayong bahagi ng bansa upang magkaroon ng access sa malawak na S&T information ng libre at hindi nangangailangan ng Internet connection.

“Looking at this program, bringing this library to far-flung areas is very noble as far as COA is concerned,” pahayag ni Karlo Almonidovar, Commission on Audit supervising auditor na nakatalaga sa DOST.  “The social impact of STARBOOKS is very important because this addresses one of the strategic objectives of the government which is poverty alleviation through education, and we approve of it, that’s why COA is called ‘partner in development.’”

Isang inobasyong maituturing hindi lamang sa aspetong teknikal, kundi pati na rin sa paraan ng pagbibigay ng impormasyon at kaalaman ang STARBOOKS. Di katulad ng tradisyunal na silid-aklatan, ang STARBOOKS ay nagtataglay ng mga digital knowledge at research material gaya ng scientific journal, audio-video production at mga film clip, tutorial at detalyadong impormasyon sa mga Filipinong siyentista at imbentor kabilang na ang kanilang mga nilikha. Malawak din ang mga nilalamang topic na kabilang ang larangan ng food and nutrition, health and medicine, energy, environment, livelihood technology, at iba pa.

Noong 2013 ay nadagdag din sa mga nilalaman ng STARBOOKS ang mga offline content ng Britannica Ultimate Encyclopedia 2013 Edition.

Ito ay mistulang “library in a Box”- sapagkat nakapaloob sa isang pod lamang ang mahigit 100,000 titulo ng mga babasahin tungkol sa mga subject ng science, technology, engineering, at math.

“The STARBOOKS program was conceptualized primarily to provide easy access to S&T information by our students especially in the countryside where we have limited Internet access,” wika ni DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo.  “Since this module requires no Internet connection, DOST is able to level the playing field in terms of providing updated knowledge products that otherwise could have been available only to those with financial means.”

Kamakailan lamang ay kinilala ng American Library Association (ALA), isang international organization ng mga asosasyon ng mga library sa Estados Unidos, ang STARBOOKS bilang ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects na ginanap sa International Librarians Reception at the San Francisco Library in San Francisco, California.

“This is the essence of bringing education to far-flung areas. The program is worth pursuing because of its accomplishment as the program has already been distributed nationwide and has gained significant milestones,” dagdag pa ng opisyal ng COA.

Sa kasalukuyan, mayroon nang 654 yunit/kiosk ang nainstila sa 69 lalawigan ng bansa. (Impormasyon mula kay Rodolfo V. De Guzman) Joy M. Lazcano

Posted By: Lynne Pingoy

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