TARLAC CITY, Tarlac — The Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division Office of Tarlac Province has officially launched Project TarlaKoLab, an innovative digital platform dedicated to strengthening stakeholder engagement and community collaboration.
The initiative was developed and introduced by DepEd-Tarlac’s School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD), through its Social Mobilization and Networking Unit (SMNU) to bridge the gap between local public schools and potential partners to drive impactful resource mobilization in support of quality education.
The resource-matching platform addresses a long-standing communication gap by making school deficiencies and urgent requirements highly visible, accessible, and transparent to the public.
According to Jenika Bianca Icasiano-Alcantara, the lead proponent of the project and SGOD-SMNU Education Program Specialist, Project TarlaKoLab was born out of a simple but persistent logistical hurdle.
“We often receive inquiries from potential partners asking which schools need help or how they can connect with schools. While we have this information internally, there was no centralized and publicly accessible platform where stakeholders could easily view school needs and opportunities for collaboration,” Alcantara explained.
Prior to the hub’s launch, pairing willing donors with under-resourced campuses relied entirely on manual coordination, which often caused communication bottlenecks. Alcantara noted that Project TarlaKoLab eliminates these delays by paving the way for faster, highly transparent, and more impactful division-wide collaborations.
The platform welcomes a broad range of stakeholders, including schools, local government units, private corporations, and non-government organizations. It also encourages participation from alumni associations, civic groups, and individual advocates dedicated to advancing education initiatives across Tarlac Province.
She also urged new and existing stakeholders to leverage the platform to build a stronger educational community.
“To our current and future partners, thank you for believing that education is a shared responsibility. Through TARLAKOLAB, we invite you to become part of a growing community committed to creating opportunities for every learner. No contribution is too small when it helps transform a school, empower a teacher, or change a child’s future. Together, we can turn collaborations into meaningful impact,” Alcantara said.
The project directly mirrors the national government’s push under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to upgrade public education through digitalization and innovative solutions.
