MANILA, Philippines — Six of 10 Filipino students used devices for distance learning amid the pandemic, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, which also found that families who bought devices spent around P8,000 per student.
Conducted from Nov. 21 to 25 among household heads, the survey found that 58 percent of enrolled Filipinos aged 5 to 20 years used devices for distance learning while 42 percent did not.
Those who used devices either owned (27 percent), bought (12 percent), borrowed (10 percent), received (9 percent) or rented (0.3 percent) one.
By area, Metro Manila had the highest percentage of students who used devices, at 96 percent. It was followed by Luzon outside Metro Manila at 64 percent, the Visayas at 43 percent and Mindanao at 41 percent.
Among the students whose families bought devices for learning, an average of P8,687 was spent with a median amount of P6,800.
The average and median amount spent by students from Metro Manila, at P8,000 and P12,315, respectively, were highest compared to other areas where it ranged from P6,000 to P8,973.
The results of the survey showed that 80 percent of currently enrolled students participated exclusively in modular distance learning, 14 percent in online distance learning, 1 percent in in-person and 0.1 percent exclusively in television or radio instruction.
Meanwhile, 4 percent participated in “blended” learning or a combination of the learning methods.
Among the students who bought or rented devices, 79 percent got a smartphone, 13 percent got a desktop or laptop, 5 percent got a television and 3 percent got a tablet.
Buying or renting a smartphone was most common in Luzon outside Metro Manila at 86 percent, followed by Mindanao at 77 percent, the Visayas at 76 percent and Metro Manila at 60 percent.
More students purchased a smartphone in rural areas at 86 percent than in urban areas at 74 percent. Buying laptops or desktops, meanwhile, was more common in urban areas at 19 percent than in rural areas at 5 percent.