IT experts, educators cool to CyberEd promises

Before President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo suspended 11 infrastructure projects funded by official development assistance (ODA), the Education department had been pushing for the controversial Cyber Education Project (CEP) as an answer to the country’s education woes. Using satellite technology, the CyberEd project would enable DepEd to broadcast 15- to 20-minute live classes conducted by national master teachers to at least 13 million students all over the Philippines. DepEd described the project as the “quickest and most cost-effective way to deliver the same high quality education to all learners." It boasts of widespread support from school owners and public school administrators. The CEP, however, was unpopular among some information and communication technology experts and stakeholders in the education sector. Overlap with NBN The Computer Professionals’ Union (CPU), for example, agreed with the observation of the Department of Transportation and Communication that the CyberEd project overlaps with the proposed National Broadband Network (NBN). CPU’s Rick Bahague explained that the CEP overlaps with NBN because both projects would create a big network – a national backbone for the government’s cyber services, such as voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) and e-education. Bahague said that a national network should be planned using a mixture of terrestrial network (like DSL and leased lines), wireless technologies and satellite that can serve many functions. Such a backbone, Bahague said, will be unlike the NBN and the CEP, which targets very specific functions. “With a properly implemented national network, many functions can already be provided. They are limiting the use of the network to specific functions in the hope that new kickbacks can be extracted for every new project they can think of," Bahague said. Inappropriate use of technology The design of the CyberEd project is similar to that of the Dynamic Learning Process (DLP) program designed and implemented by Maria Victoria Carpio-Bernido and husband Christopher of the Central Visayan Institute (CVI), a high school in Bohol. The program, which raised academic performance at CVI, employed various methods including distance education. Naga City Planning Coordinator Wilfredo B. Prilles Jr, who worked with the Bernidos to graft DLP into the Naga public school system lamented that “the 20-or so minute live classes are the only things the CEP shares with the Bernidos’ model." The CEP would cover both elementary and secondary levels, while the Bernidos’ model covers only the latter. Prilles, who is also coordinator of the Reinventing the Naga City School Board Project, said that CyberEd’s proposed partnership with Tsinghua University is “in order" considering its reputation that NASA, the US space agency, recognizes. He, however, said that distance education in Tsinghua “is primarily intended for adults." He said that if CyberEd would only focus on high school students, there would be no need to borrow money for the project. It would be more sustainable if it is demand-driven, meaning the beneficiary community asked for its implementation because they believe in the project, said Prilles. “The CEP can be scaled down, cost-wise and coverage-wise. Kung ipapasok yung demand-driven criterion, mas malaki yung chance na maging successful sya," Prilles said. “We can do this without borrowing," said President Arroyo after suspending the CyberEd and other projects financed by ODA loans. Gross misuse of funds CEP’s total cost is estimated at P26.48 billion – P22.77 billion will come from a loan from the Peoples’ Republic of China while P3.71 billion will be shouldered by the Philippine government. While DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus described the CyberEd project as “probably the best thing to happen to public education since the Thomasites," the activist group Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) called the project “a gross misuse of limited funds." ACT chairman Tonchi Tinio said the CEP does not address the roots of the problems in basic education, such as textbook and classroom shortage. In his presentation at the Bloggers’ Kapihan at the Ramon Magsaysay High School in Cubao last October, Tinio cited statistics from the Philippine Business for Education (PBed) saying that the amount allotted for CyberEd is enough to pay for master’s degree scholarships of 260,000 teachers or half of DepEd’s roster of instructors. Tinio said the amount is also twice the P13.5 billion needed to implement free universal pre-school education in the entire country and build 66,200 classrooms. It is also more than enough to shoulder the P3,000 salary increase for teachers. “Inappropriate yung insistence [ng DECS] on using this kind of technology. We’re not saying di dapat gumamit ng ICT, but their one-size-fits-all is not appropriate," he said. Tinio said DepEd could use pre-recorded lectures instead of broadcasting them live. “You don’t need P26 billion to do that," he said. Primarily a supplementary tool Last year, PBed and the Foundation for Worldwide People Power issued a statement expressing “deep concern" regarding the CyberEd project and “its hefty price tag." They called on the government to “put the financial resources where they are needed and where they can make a bigger difference." “Cyber education is primarily a supplementary tool in education. Academic experts – both local and international – agree that such an input helps but is not necessary especially in the context of a system with very basic gaps," the statement said. It added: “In fact, the value of supplementary tools is easily nullified in a context of inadequate facilities and ill-trained teachers and can therefore become a mere wasteful use of our scarce resources." But DepEd assured the public that the CyberEd project has not distracted it “in its pursuit of mobilizing resources for basic education resource needs," and that Sec. Lapus has asked the help of the private sector and foreign donors in funding the basic learning resource needs. - GMANews.TV