DepEd denounced by a teachers group over misleading data on the preparedness in online learning

On Wednesday the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) criticizes the Department of Education (DepEd) for claiming that 93% of public schools nationwide are equipped with devices for online learning. The group said it is a misleading claim.

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On Monday, the department announced that as it prepares for the opening of classes despite the health crisis, a total of 1,042,575 devices have been distributed to 43,948 public schools, which comprise 93% of all public schools in the country. The devices includes computers, laptops and tablets that can be used by learners.

DepEd Information and Communications Technology Service Director Abram Abanil said that the department was set to deliver 211,344 more devices before 2020 ends.

However, ACT Philippines spokesman Benjamin Valbuena said,

This data obscures the fact that available computers at schools are outdated, if not no longer functional, and cannot be utilized for online learning.

DepEd is talking about the computers in computer labs which had been bought years ago through DepEd's old computerization programs. Worse, many schools still don’t have computer laboratories until now, 

At best, these claims made by DepEd are puzzling to us and disturbing at worst. This seems like a sly, deliberate misrepresentation of tech availability and usability in schools. Instead of reassuring the public with distorted facts, we urge DepEd to bare the sorry truth of our schools—this way, we can perhaps work together in demanding better budget allocation from the national government,

Different teachers raised their skepticism on the matter, some said they can attest to the limitedness of these gadgets in terms of quantity and quality. As well as, even when computers and other gadgets are available in schools, they are often lacking in both number and performance. 

In late May, DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Pascua told the Senate that there were 1,042,575 devices distributed among 44,155 public schools. He added that, of these devices, 99,548 are laptops, 308,150 are tablet PCs and the rest are desktops.

Valbuena, a retired technology and livelihood education public school teacher, contested that a large number of schools utilize a "server-client system" for their laboratories. 

These computers in laboratories are mostly controlled by a server computer run by the teacher, without the teacher to run the server computer, the rest of the computers cannot be used. It only means that students nor teacher can’t borrow the computers to use in distance learning.

In addition, most of the available tablets for students are low tech, it can only run Microsoft apps while online apps causes lagging. Also, some teachers gather on their respective schools with the intent of using the tablets but only to find poor to totally no internet connection installed at schools.

According to Valbuena, data collected from the group's ground reports reveals that even national high schools, usually the largest in their division, have either limited or no available gadgets.

Lucky for those students and teachers in the city who were able to receive help from the the local government unit or private sectors, on the other hand, far flung schools are still calling for donors of bond paper, ink and printers.