Senate bill wants 1:1 student-textbook ratio achieved via digitization

A bill seeking to create an online library which will serve as a repository of digitized copies of all textbooks and reference books of all elementary and secondary students has been filed in the Senate.

Senator Jinggoy Estada has filed Senate Bill 2075 or the proposed Philippine Online Library Act in a bid to achieve the ideal 1:1 student-textbook ratio in the country.

“The insufficient number of textbooks in public schools remains a serious concern and with the sheer number of students, the achievement of the ideal textbook-to-student ratio is far from realization. In this light, the Philippine Online Library can supplement the required books, especially for students who have internet connectivity,” Estrada said in his explanatory note.

Estrada said the online library will not only complement the existing physical libraries in schools and local government units around the country but will also aid both teachers and students especially those who have utilized various learning modalities, including online and hybrid classes.

Under SB 2075, the Department of Education will be mandated to create a digitized copy of all textbooks and reference books it deems necessary for the education of elementary and secondary students. These shall be compiled in the Philippine Online Library which will be jointly managed by DepEd and the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT).

To ensure access to digitized copies of textbooks, the DepEd shall provide computers, laptops, or appropriate equipment to all primary and secondary public schools nationwide while DICT shall provide fast and reliable internet access to every campus.

In order to reduce expenses related to computer procurement, the bill allows the national government agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations and other government financial institutions which will procure new computers to endorse their old units to the DICT and check if the computers can be used for the online library. Afterwards, the computer sets or laptops shall be given to DepEd for deployment to campuses.

Under the measure, the DepEd and the National Library of the Philippines will have joint custody over the digitized copies of the textbooks.

Once enacted into law, an initial amount of P500 million shall be appropriated by Congress for its implementation. The amount will be jointly managed by DepEd and DICT. — Hana Bordey/RSJ, GMA Integrated News