Speaking at the second 'National ICT in Basic Education' Congress which opened here Wednesday, President Arroyo said the government is intent in increasing not only the number of Internet-ready computers in public high schools but also in increasing the number of teachers that are knowledgeable in ICT.

'We need more ICT-competent teachers; this is why DepEd (Department of Education) and CICT (Commission on ICT) are currently drafting the National ICT Competency Standards (NICS) for teachers,' she said, adding that this would be implemented in all high schools once finalized.

The President urged the private sector to join the public sector's efforts in tapping ICT to help improve the Philippines' quality of education.

'Let us truly make our Philippine educational system fit for the knowledge century of the new millennium,' she said. 'Most teachers should comply with NICS by 2010.'

The President is lobbying for the integration of ICT in the academe because, according to her, this would 'develop the Filipino youth's computer skills and provide them with the advantage in securing jobs in the future.'