Jonathan M. Hicap
Manila Times

There is a bright future for the DepEd’s Cyber Education Project if research studies on the effectiveness of the Lopez-owned Knowledge Channel are to be believed.

Different studies point to the positive impact of Knowledge Channel, a cable channel dedicated to educational programming for students in Philippine public schools.

An Ateneo Wellness Center study in 2001 showed high acceptance of the Knowledge Channel among viewers.

A study by the Philippine Survey and Research Co. on spending habits and influences on children aged 7 to 12 revealed that the Knowledge Channel is the “most liked” children’s TV channel in the country. Also, 90 percent of mothers surveyed said Knowledge Channel is beneficial to their children, with 89 percent of them urging their children to watch the channel. The study also said 85 percent of students continue to watch the channel at home or outside school.

A thesis by Marivic Francisco of the Marikina Institute of Science and Technology in 2002 said there is a significant difference between the academic performance of the control and experimental group with regard to the use of Knowledge Channel.

An in-house mini-study in 2004 by Knowledge Channel showed positive response to its programming.

Among students, 81 percent in grade school and 88 percent in high school said the channel is relevant to their studies. Ninety-eight percent of elementary students and 90 percent of high-school students said Knowledge Channel helps them in their studies.

Teachers also had praises for the channel with 97 percent saying it is appealing and interesting, and congruent with minimum learning competencies. A total of 96 percent said the channel enriches lessons.

Knowledge Channel is available in 1,528 public elementary and high school in 40 provinces, reaching about 2.67 million students. Still, its penetration rate among public schools is only about 3.6 percent.

The Cyber Education Project of the Department of Education will use satellite technology to conduct live broadcast lessons in classrooms across the country. The DepEd said the CEP will use satellites to deliver content to 37,794 or 90 percent of all public elementary and high schools. This will link schools to a nationwide network that will provide 12 video channels, wireless wide area networking, local area networking and wireless Internet connection.

Educational TV like the Knowledge Channel is seen as the fastest way to deliver educational content to students. Because it is simultaneous and nationwide, “what is seen in a first-class Makati public school is the same program viewed by students in Tawi-Tawi and Batanes’ sixth-class municipalities and baran­gays.”

It is also easily upgradeable, since programs can be quickly edited to conform to a new curriculum in schools compared to five years to reproduce books.

Educational TV is also cost-efficient compared to textbook purchase. It is estimated to cost only P20 for every student a year compared to P312 for every student a year to reproduce a textbook based on DepEd prices.

The Cyber Education Project has gained support from the National Association of Public Secondary School Heads Inc. It praised the DepEd “for prioritizing a fast, effective, and competency-based public education delivery mode as a strategy to implement the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda.”

“We cannot afford to lag behind in the race for human development,” said Ka Arnul Empleo, Manila High School principal and national president of the association of public-school heads. “Filipino youth must be competitive with their counterparts in the rest of the world. CyberEd will provide our students, wherever they are, equal opportunities to access quality instructional packages and interact with their peers in a borderless environment.”

The association believes that Cyber Ed can be a tool for the continuing professional development of public school teachers nationwide.

It said Cyber Ed could be “a potent tool for school-based management and share with other school heads around the world best practices in educational management, administration and leadership.”