A consumer advocacy group urges the government to collaborate with the private sector to improve broadband connectivity to enhance the quality of education and catch up with the digital world.
“Another academic year is starting and alongside the usual issues of congested classrooms, poor infrastructure and inadequate facilities, digital readiness – non-readiness, in fact — has become a glaring issue in Philippine schools. We need to act fast on this,” said CitizenWatch Philippines co-convenor lawyer Tim Abejo.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian in a recent public hearing pointed out that according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) data as of September 2022, only 1.8 percent of 47,421 public schools nationwide had access to free Wi-Fi, with the quality and speed of connections varying significantly.
“Those in urban areas have a distinct advantage while students in the rural areas lack reliable internet connection, if they have it in the first place,” Abejo said.
Meanwhile, the approximately 14,000 private schools have a higher percentage of connectivity, with 85 percent having internet access due to better funding and resources, enabling them to invest in the necessary infrastructure and technologies.
“Ultimately, we want all our learners, whether in public or private schools, to have the same access to the world’s wealth of rich educational content and knowledge now available because of the internet,” Abejo added.
“There is no argument that all our schools need internet access at broadband speeds,” he said. Through it, students can access educational materials like books, articles, videos, journals, and e- learning modules.
“Access to the immersive and interactive format of e-learning content is a game changing opportunity that will enrich the traditional classroom method of delivering the K-12 curriculum.”
“We’ve seen how internet connectivity was critical in the continuity of classes during the pandemic and is still being used as a flexible and convenient option during times of calamities or occasional health outbreaks,” he said.
Equally important, Abejo said, is to improve the Philippines’ dismal standing in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Filipino students ranked low in reading, mathematics, and science in the latest 2022 results, even as education officials said they had expected our performance to have improved significantly after the initial PISA findings in 2018.
The Philippines only marginally moved up from its 2018 scores of 353 and 340 in math and reading, respectively, to scores of 355, 355 in 2022. For science, the score even dropped by one point from 356 to 355.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, changes in PISA scores have to be at least 20 points to be equivalent to the learning gains or losses of at least a year’s worth of schooling, and one- to two-point changes are not considered significant.
Broadband services will give teachers global access to the most effective lesson delivery modules that uses multi-media technologies to explain complex concepts in subjects like match and science. The use of animation and audio makes learning more experiential and when combined with interactive exercises, when enhances student retention with the impact of an unforgettable life encounter, according to Abejo, “Artificial Intelligence is also a fast-emerging tool that our educational institutions will need to understand and harness responsibly as a powerful tool for creativity and productivity.”
Abejo added that another important benefit is the enhancement of administrative efficiency of schools wherein communication and collaboration among students and parents, teachers, school departments, using online tools like email, video conferencing, and group chats.
“Artificial Intelligence is also a fast emerging tool that our educational institutions will need to understand and harness, though responsibly as a powerful tool for creativity and productivity.”
“Broadband connectivity in schools is the digital bridge that will empower students to become proficient in using technology and developing the essential digital skills to prepare them for higher education or whatever career path they choose in the new digital world economy,” said Abejo.
