STA. RITA, Samar – Distance learning has been a struggle for both learners and teachers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Lucky are those who have technology and gadgets at their disposal but how about those living in remote areas with no cellphone signal and internet?
Although areas that have unstable or no internet connection use modular instead of digital learning, communication has likewise been a struggle in these areas.
Kiesha Yarrah Obejas, 9, a Grade 4 pupil from Sta. Elena Elementary School, an interior village some 10 kilometers away from Sta. Rita town proper, was thrilled when she learned that she can now participate in digital learning through a system developed by Vinyl Oquiño, a Tacloban-based electrical engineer.
Her days of reading and answering thick modules are now over. Her teacher, Elaine Ramirez, just goes to a place with WiFi to download all learning materials on her laptop and upload them to the system for sharing with learners via an intranet.
Oquiño worked as a professor for the Adama Science and Technology University in Ethiopia for six years where Korean experts strongly lobbied for the establishment of an intranet system in rural communities in Ethiopia with no internet connection.
He said his experience when he was still in school and the things he has learned while working overseas motivated him to help the children obtain education despite the pandemic. "It brings joy to help our students have fun while they are learning."
Students and teachers can access the system using cellphones and computers. Each pupil is provided with an account to access the digital learning platform and answer quizzes, view learning videos, communicate with teachers, and download e-books, among others.
Unlike the internet, information shared on the intranet is controlled by teachers to prevent the risks of seeing inappropriate content and cybercrimes.
Charlie Singh, the school principal, said the school raised around P120,000 for the project from their own pockets and a foreign donor.
They completed the project in just three weeks ahead of their two-month target, including the installation of infrastructure, and formally launched the system Wednesday, May 19.
"At first, everybody was carried out by the innovation in the area because it is highly technical and seems costly yet they've witnessed how it works. The pupils are responding well unlike modules which they said are boring because they can also watch animated videos shared by their teachers," Singh said,
He added that pupils can view their scores and retake the quiz as part of the learning process. It is also more efficient because they no longer need to print and distribute modules to parents.
According to him, this is the first project of its kind in Samar Island. The Department of Education (DepEd)-Samar Division has already expressed its interest to replicate the project in other areas in the province considering that most of its areas have poor internet access.
Learners without smartphones or computers will still be provided with printed learning materials, however, the school is finding ways to provide all 158 learners with gadgets.
"As of now, we have already received five pledges for cellphones. About 50 of them have cellphones and computers at home that they can borrow to access their learning materials," he said.