CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A secondary school within an Indigenous Peoples (IP) community in this city inaugurated the nation's first public school to provide artificial intelligence (AI) technology training and laboratory facilities.
The AI laboratory at Dansolihon National High School (DNHS) was created through a partnership with the local government unit (LGU) and Skunkworks, a private tech firm specializing in AI, coding, digital literacy, data annotation, and other emerging technological skills.
Skunkworks president Thor Turecha said IP students will have early exposure to AI tools, from drone operations to digital literacy.
"This is not just a school or a lab. It’s a launchpad for innovation, making Cagayan de Oro the future ‘Creative Technology Capital of the Philippines,'" he said in an interview.
Mayor Rolando Uy said the collaboration is a major initiative of the Local School Board, which he chairs, in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) and other government agencies.
DepEd City Division Superintendent, Dr. Rey Angelo Gazo, lauded the project, calling it a significant step in “shaping the future of innovation” and empowering the youth.
Before the launch, selected teachers from DNHS underwent intensive training facilitated by Skunkworks from June 2 to 9.
When asked why Dansolihon was chosen as the pilot area, Turecha said it was due to the village’s unique cultural identity, where nearly all students are Lumad.
“Our vision is to transform a village and make innovation happen,” he said.
A second AI hub is set to be inaugurated later this year at City Central School.
Meanwhile, Nideliza Nacilla, the provincial officer of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in Misamis Oriental, assured newly elected officials in Northern Mindanao LGUs of the agency's support for their digitalization efforts in governance.
"We are here to support you in transforming trust into real impact," she said Wednesday during the second day of the Newly Elected Officers Orientation for the Department of the Interior and Local Government here.
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