Lopez calls on cable ops and telcos to help end learning crisis
With over 400 delegates in attendance, Knowledge Channel Foundation President Rina Lopez made a call today to cable and telecoms businesses to help avert the learning crisis in the Philippines.
In her 30-minute presentation to the Philippine E-Tech Show 2021 of the Philippine Cable and Telecommunications Association or PCTA, Lopez showed how the crisis unraveled itself after the Philippines ranked lowest among countries that participated in several international education benchmarking tests. She also emphasized the growing inequality gap in learning exacerbated by COVID-19. “The pandemic has made our education system even more fragile. School closures and the economic recession will result in an even deeper learning crisis,” she said. “A majority [of learners] relied on printed modules which is proving to be clunky and not very effective. Some rely on TV and radio. The result is an ever-widening educational divide between the haves and have nots.”
One such case was Jhoemark Rodriguez, a first grade student of teacher Teresita Beato, both from Santa Rosa, Laguna under the Basa Bilang Program of Knowledge Channel Foundation or KCFI. Jhoemark has been relying on their TV as a way to catch up on his lessons. For several hours a day, he would watch Knowledge Channel with time shared amongst his cousins who are also in elementary. She is cared for by his ailing grandmother Araceli who is unable to teach the kids due to her condition. She admitted that printed modules were difficult for them as she could not guide the children.
KCFI, which operates the first educational channel in the country, has been relentlessly providing over 2,000 video lessons via TV, online, and offline. It believes that it can fill the widening gap in education by helping more Filipino families adapt to distance learning through TV n the same way it has partnered with SKY to reach more schools and households.. According to Lopez, PCTA plays an integral part in this intervention with over 90 percent of its members already carrying the channel in their respective service areas. “The children, the parents and the teachers in your community need your help. First of all is to carry the Knowledge Channel in your system. And promote it all the time to the children, their parents, and the teachers. I can’t stress that enough,” Lopez emphasized.
To date, over 750,000 cable-connected households nationwide have access to Knowledge Channel. Last year, the channel’s reach has been drastically reduced after the denial of ABS-CBN’s franchise application. She is appealing to the delegates to promote the educational channel as a way to participate in the distance learning process. She assured that all of the video lessons are aligned to the adjusted curriculum of the Department of Education.
“As cable TV industry leaders you are strong influencers in your respective communities. I ask you to call on your business partners, family, relatives, and friends to join this movement in solving the education crisis. Let us solve the Philippine Learning Crisis as one,” Lopez appealed.
The PCTA Philippine E-Tech Show is an annual trade show inviting leaders and showstoppers of the cable and telecommunications industries. This year, the three-day event is mounted virtually due to economic restrictions caused by the pandemic. Over 30 exhibitors and 8 sponsors have joined this event with China Mobile and Globe Business as co-presenters in this event. Those interested may join via https://www.pctaetechshow2021.com/
