Redundant? Nope. It’s true. It’s hard to learn information and communications technology without technology. And that’s what the ICT education in the country is lacking. It’s like teaching basketball to students without letting them hold the basketball. Or just by showing pictures of a basketball. No drills. No games. Not even a hoop to shoot at.

I’ve been affiliated with an ICT learning company here in the Philippines. And my tenure there has exposed me to the real world situation in terms of educating students the productive use of ICT.

Cost

Let’s face it. Not all schools (both public and private) can afford equipping themselves with computer labs. Even equipping computer labs with ample number of computer units is quite a challenge.

A basic PC set (powered by a Celeron/Sempron) cost around Php 12,000. which means a lab of 40 can cost nearly half a million pesos to fill a computer. This is to consider that the lab itself is already built. Compound that with the cost of operations (electricity and maintenance), software licenses (which cost more than the units themselves), networking and connectivity, then a school faces a legit seven digit investment.

Ratio

A 40-PC lab is a rarity. PC to student ratio could be as high as four students to one computer. Even in some glamorous private schools, labs go a pair a PC. How can a student fully learn the concepts being taught if hands-on is limited only to a half or even a quarter of the whole session? And we all hope to develop competent individuals.

Lacking the C

Communications technology encompasses a whole lot of topics. But the only plausible communications technology lessons that can be taught with a computer lab are topics on the Net and the Web. Students would just have to rely on theoretical learning and personal experience to acquaint themselves with the latest communication gadgets.

Saving Graces

Well, thank God for other initiatives like GILAS, public schools are getting PCs and Internet connections. It’s really a good thing that private corporations and foreign aid have made much contribution to equipping our schools. Yet, these initiatives are not enough.

Post Script

We all know that education remains to be the supposed priority in terms of support by our national government. Yet, time and again, we see administration after administration cutting back the funds for education. Yes, billions are needed to be spent to provide the proper infrastructure to foster a conducive environment for learning ICT. But as we know, we’re trying too far look forward yet we are shackled by our own incapacities.

Maybe it’s time to reconsider our goals for the future and start developing policies and enforcing them for us to be really start developing competent Filipinos.

Check out these other posts:

1. Roco wants ICT in education
2. IT giants, e-Learning, and our education system
3. Challenges to e-learning continue
4. Yup, that’s right! Ban them students from Net shops!
5. Surviving a speaking marathon