Public invited to watch Wednesday TV campaign

The Public School System is inviting the CNMI community to watch the first of four one-hour media campaign about the PSS this coming Wednesday, Oct. 19, on KMCV Channel 7.

PSS associate commissioner for administrative services David M. Borja said KMCV will be airing an “infomercial” about the school system in the CNMI: its success and the challenges confronting PSS.

The media campaign, being handled by Glimpses Advertising Saipan led by Flor Pamintuan, started shooting yesterday morning and has been filming schools and facilities and interviewing principals and students around the island.

Borja and federal programs advisor Tim Thornburgh visited Saipan Southern High School, Koblerville Elementary School, San Antonio Elementary School, William S. Reyes Elementary School, Hopwood Junior High School, and Oleai Elementary School.

PSS officials will visit other Saipan schools today and are also planning to visit schools on Tinian and Rota.

“The first completed story will be aired this Wednesday from 9pm to 10pm,” Borja said adding that the objective of the media campaign is to provide parents with an overview of the status of the CNMI school system.

“Parents need to know why PSS is asking for money,” he said. Borja said the media campaign would be aired on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the week after the next.

The media campaign would showcase the achievements of PSS. “But behind the success there’s need to better help the education system in the CNMI,” he said.

The target audiences for the “infomercial” are primarily the parents, said Borja, but it also aims to inform students and school staff of what really is going on in their respective schools.

Glimpses already presented some samples during last week’s Board of Education regular board meeting at the PSS building in Capitol Hill. Borja said it’s about time the community learns more about PSS.

The first part of the four-part series will start off with the safe and orderly condition of the schools making it a more conducive working and learning environment.

Funding for the “infomercial” came from the previous federal consolidation grants for the CNMI school system.

Borja clarified that the money used in the project has been earmarked a long time ago complying with federal requirement under No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. He said the federal grant required the project to disseminate information about the status of the local education system, its success and challenges in general.