MANILA, Philippines – A president of a university in Manila has asked the government to work towards making internet connectivity and computers available for free for online classes as not all students and teachers could shoulder the expenses for such gadgets.
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) President Emmanuel Leyco said on Wednesday that free internet and computers have now become essential to education as this may be the only way to study while the threat of local coronavirus transmissions exists.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced school administrators and policymakers in the government to suspend classes, and eventually consider remote work and schooling.
“COVID-19 just defined the future of education. Unless vaccine or cure is immediately developed, schools and universities will need to go online this school year to help contain the dreaded virus,” Leyco said in a post on his Facebook page.
“But digital divide will determine who goes to virtual campuses and those who will be locked out. Many faculty and students do not have access to the internet nor gadgets to get them connected,” he added.
According to Leyco, while virtual campuses are being created and as faculty members are formatting their lesson plans, government assistance would be of great help to reduce expenses brought by the so-called “new normal.”
“Theoretically, more students could benefit from online platforms […] Thus, the new economy that would emerge must carry education as an essential component of social advancement that requires top priority,” he explained.
“The economic stimulus that is being drawn now should facilitate the building of massive information technology and free access to the internet and free distribution of computers to the poor
While Filipinos have been noted as one of the world’s top social media users, current prepaid and postpaid connectivity plans have centered on social media use, like free access to Facebook and other apps. However, the use of data for websites dedicated to online classes is not yet fully explored in the country, save for a few public and private educational institutions.
A study from research firms We Are Social and Hootsuite showed that the Philippines, as of January 2020, has 173.2 million mobile phone connections for a population of 108.8 million, which means that there are people with more than one phone connected to the internet.
The numbers taper off though in terms of internet penetration rates. As of now, only 73 million Filipinos have access to the internet or around 67 percent of the country’s population.
There have been debates on whether schools should switch to online classes until a vaccine for COVID-19 is discovered. President Rodrigo Duterte himself said that students should not go to classes physically until a vaccine is available, although some health experts believe that the risk is low.
However, student activists say that online classes should not be implemented if the government cannot assure students of adequate internet speeds to allow them to participate properly in online classroom discussions.