GESTSOC Y40 Group 3 July 28, 2021

Topic Proposal

Members:
- Buendia, Alyssa - Sabino, Kaila Samantha
- Diwa, Dazzel - Villaflor, AJ
- Lopez, Vanessa - Wacker, Samantha

Proposed topic: “The Call for Inclusivity: Inadequate Equipment and Training for
Online Learning in Rural Areas”

A. Explain the problem or issue that your group would like to tackle

The COVID-19 global pandemic has bestowed difficult challenges to everyone, most
especially to students who have been deprived of fruitful learning and teachers who may not
have been given proper training for online teaching. Most rural areas in the Philippines are not
technologically advanced and equipped with proper electricity, signal and stable WiFi; many
families in rural communities may not be able to afford those aforementioned, as well as
personal equipment such as tablets, laptops and touch screen mobile phones that prove to be a
necessity for online learning. Our group would like to enumerate the negative effects of having
inadequate equipment and lack of training for teachers, to elucidate the importance of
inclusivity by establishing better opportunities for the less fortunate youth in rural areas.

B. Explain the linkage to any of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, schools that are located in rural areas here in the
Philippines are faced with financial and digital challenges because the majority of the students
of rural areas do not have access to smartphones and internet service, or even parents that do
not have quality education to guide their children. We want to ensure that students in rural
areas are given the opportunity to have equitable quality education. Access to quality education
can contribute to local economic growth and aid rural people to a rapidly changing
environment. With that being said, an adequate education system must ensure that the
technology needs of rural students are addressed. Moreover, rural educators frequently do not
have easy access to technology developed systems. Technology, on the other hand, may help
students, especially educators to overcome inadequate equipment by providing them with
readily available professional development.

C. Explain Why it is a problem in The target community, organization, institution, or local

government

As the sudden hit of COVID-19 struck the country, it’s no surprise that not everyone was
able to adapt immediately, especially those who lack resources. One of the biggest challenges
we, especially the students, face is the sudden switch to online learning which certainly requires
modernization. Modernization that predominantly lacks in rural areas, as we all know, is the
main reason why it remains rural. Online learning uses mainly modern technology and reliable
signals, which rural areas do not adequately have.

Globally, academic institutions must adjust to the pandemic's hurdles by switching to

online platforms as an alternate learning environment. Some argue that online learning is a
necessary supplement to make up for the loss of educational setting presence, whereas others
struggle to acclimatize to the digital environment. One of the biggest drawbacks of online
learning is possessing an electronic gadget capable of connecting to the internet to attend
classes. However, these two have expenses that some people cannot pay nor afford. According
to a 2018 study on internet usage among Filipinos, 45 percent (46 million) of the population
does not have access to the internet, and 74 percent (34,500) of public schools have the same
problem. With that being said, people living in rural areas are the ones most deprived of the
following: opportunities, material things, and even the most basic necessities. Which is exactly
why we aim to help the youth in rural areas; to give them a better opportunity to study even in
an online environment, so they would not be left behind during these trying times.

Given that the COVID-19 worsened the existing inequalities our country is facing by the
widening and worsening of the digital divide. In fact, there are around 700 million people
around the world that do not have access to digital technology. And in the Philippines, the
difference of wifi connection / signal in urban versus in rural areas is enormous.

See attached photo for reference.

Source: Anica Araneta, B. C. (2021, February 22). Mapping digital poverty in ph.
INQUIRER.net. https://business.inquirer.net/318223/mapping-digital-poverty-in-ph.

Furthermore, according to the Department of Information and Communication Technology

(DICT), connectivity truly remains higher in urban areas and weaker in rural areas, thus making
rural areas lack opportunities, quality education and decent work, more so, making productivity
a privilege and COVID-19 made it even worse for the rural areas.
 D. Explain what would happen if this problem is not addressed

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected economies all over the world but has
likewise influenced important sectors of society such as education. As the number of COVID-19
cases increased, many countries including the Philippines, have been forced to temporarily shut
down educational institutions to prevent further transmission. Consequently, this affected the
education of over 28 million students in the Philippines (Tria, 2020). The implication of the crisis
has led institutions to shift to full-online learning. However, the new learning setup is often
coupled with new threats and challenges for students and instructors that have yet to be
acquainted with this fairly new system.

This sudden shift poses a great threat to the less privileged students’ ability to comply
and participate in online discussion and lectures, creating great disadvantages as their access to
a stable internet connection, electronic devices, and electricity are compromised (Tria, 2020). As
a result, the less privileged students’ opportunity of acquiring quality learning is compromised
which in turn can result in poorer assessment results. On the other hand, teachers and
professors also struggle with adapting to the new learning setup as they find themselves under
equipped with digital skills essential in facilitating online learning. Along with this, the lack of
financial support and resources from their respective institutions have made it more difficult to
sustain the requirements for online learning such as a stable wifi connection, and a
well-functioning gadget (Sadia, 2020). Therefore, the lack of access to gadgets and necessary
equipment needed to participate in online learning deprives less privileged learners and
instructors the opportunity to acquire and provide quality education. This impedes their ability
to learn valuable knowledge that can be applied in their respective fields. Thus, the need for an
inclusive education system has been made evident by these concerns and challenges. However,
little has been done to alleviate the burden from the parents, teachers, and students. With this,
the study aims to promote and provide recommendations as to how policymakers and
stakeholders can take action in creating a more inclusive curriculum that takes into account the
struggle faced by the minority.
REFERENCES:

Anica Araneta, B. C. (2021, February 22). Mapping digital poverty in ph. INQUIRER.net.
https://business.inquirer.net/318223/mapping-digital-poverty-in-ph.

Tria, J. Z. (2020). The COVID-19 Pandemic through the Lens of Education in the Philippines: The
New Normal. International
Journal of Pedagogical Development and Lifelong Learning, 1(1), ep2001.
https://doi.org/10.30935/ijpdll/8311

Will distance learning work? Parents, teachers not so sure. Philippine Center for Investigative
Journalism. (n.d.).
https://pcij.org/article/4327/will-distance-learning-work-parents-teachers-not-so-sure.