E-LEARNING FOR BASIC EDUCATION

IN THE PHILIPPINES

Virgilio U. Manzano
Director, Model Information and Technology Classroom (MITC)
University of the Philippines College of Education
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
and
Coordinator, Associated Schools Project Network (ASPNet)
UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines
Department of Foreign Affairs, Pasay City, Philippines

Introduction

In the advent of the implementation of the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum of

the Philippines under the leadership of the Department of Education (DepEd), the need to
use e-learning in the classroom is important since integration of subject areas is
emphasized. In the formal school curriculum, which covers a period of 6 years for
elementary and 4 years secondary education levels, the subjects being offered at the
basic education level include Filipino, English, Mathematics, Science and Makabayan
(Nationalism). The non-formal education program allows out-of-school youth to graduate
from the secondary school after passing the Proficiency and Equivalency Test.

According to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines, she

envisions every child in the Philippines to acquire quality education, and that every
classroom should have a computer. Based on her State of the Nation Address (SONA),
President Arroyo stated her program in providing an approach the ensures high-quality
education (Orani, 2003). In July 2003, President Arroyo started the program known as
the Strong Republic School Distance Learning System (SRDLS). She stated the need for
a government to support the use of distance education utilizing e-learning as one
approaches to promote the provision of quality education in the local communities and to
promote equal access to basic education that include the elementary and secondary school
level.

There are a lot advantages of using e-learning in the in-school and off-school
settings in the Philippines. It allows interactivity between the lesson and the learner. The
individualization of each learner is enhanced. The cost-effectiveness can be seen on it
since the reproduction and distribution of learning materials is considered to be
inexpensive. Its novelty allows the learners to deal on interesting lessons allowing them
to become well motivated and receptive to ides provided. The integrity of each lessons
can be maintained since the computer allows the delivery of uniform information in a
sequential manner based on the needs of the learners, anytime and anywhere.
Policy and Programs on E-Learning

According to Padolina (2002), the Information Technology and E-Commerce

Council (ITECC) has provided the groundwork for e-learning in the Philippines which
brought about the enactment of the Republic Act 8972 commonly known as the
Electronic Commerce Act of the Philippines. The Human Resource Development (HRD)
Committee has the following functions: (1) to develop policy and programs in e-
learning; (2) to develop guidelines on enhancement of basic education; and (3) to develop
IT human resources.

In order to implement the policy and programs on e-learning in the Philippines,

the ITECC-HRD Subcommittee on e-learning was established (Padolina, 2002). Its
specific functions are: (1) to create an e-learning environment by actively promoting

According to Grey (2003), the texting for education can

The texting for education allows the use of digital technology following a three
step process (Grey, 2003). The teacher usually request for a video program from
Pearson’s large science library via satellite to an available digital recorder attached to a
television in the classroom. In the project, the 40 teachers selected are provided the
gadgets required free of charge in their own classrooms.

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