Negros solon seeks digitally-equipped learning spaces nationwide

BACOLOD CITY — Negros Occidental Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez on Monday (May 19) filed a bill seeking to establish community learning centers in all cities and municipalities.

The learning facilities would provide access to digital learning tools, the bill said.

Access to digital tools could help students reduce physical contact and the chances of transmitting coronavirus.

Creating “different learning modalities,” according to the bill, became “more urgent as we deal with the COVID-19 pandemic” which forced closure of schools.

The congressman said information and communications technology is indispensable for out-of-school learning.

Infrastructure for digital learning, he said, is an urgent and necessary government task.

Republic Act No. 7743 mandates the establishment of libraries in congressional districts, city, towns and villages.

But the National Library of the Philippines said in 2019, only 433 public libraries, or just 3 percent of target, were existing.

The need for more learning centers with digital tools, said the congressman, “is therefore glaring.”

Students without internet connection at homes could go to these facilities for “free access to digital learning tools and materials,” said the bill.

“It will help bridge the digital divide and democratize access to information,” the congressman said.

Benitez, who belonged to the family that owns Philippine Women’s University, said digital learning facilities could also serve as venues for the Alternative Learning System and other classes.

Edited by TSB