NU 6 by Angel Orseno Virtual Classrooms

Angelbert M Orseno

Prof Jorge Saguinsin

ENTREP – AGSB, Clark

Background(*)

Poverty and hunger prevent Filipino kids from basic education.  One out of 6 shool-age Filipino is not enrolled, figures from the Department of Education and the National Statistics Board.

The net enrollment ratio (NER) or participation rate at the elementary level for school year 2006-2007 was 83.2 percent, down by 1.2 percentage points from the previous school year and a far cry from school year 1999-2000’s 96.95 percent. 

The NER is the ratio between the enrollment in the school-age range and the total population of that age range. That means that out of all Filipino children aged 6-11—which is the official age range for elementary pupils—17.8 percent or almost one-fifth are out of school. 

DepEd figures also show that from 1999 to 2007 participation in elementary education decreased, save for a 0.19-percentage point increase in 2002. 

The rate of participation in secondary education is even worse. From 2002 to 2007, almost half or 43.7 of all Filipinos aged 12-15—the official age range for high school—failed to enroll. This is lower than the participation rate of 65.43 percent in 1999-2000.

With these figures the country is still far from achieving the Millennium Development Goal of providing basic education to all, the NSCB said in its report. The Philippines is also far from achieving its own Education for All 2015 Plan, which serves as the blueprint for the country’s basic education.

(* Source: GMA News Online: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/111257/news/specialreports/poverty-hunger-prevent-filipino-kids-from-getting-basic-education)

Challenge

Families living under poverty line will set aside education from their priority lists and instead all bodies capable of getting up, walk few meters are bound to “toil” for food – that’s the reality of seeing children as early as 4 years old work and labor.

As knowledge plays a vital part in every human life aspect the government, entrepreneurs or innovators alike constantly search for alternative to deliver education even to its simplest form like Efren Penaflorida, CNN Hero of the Year, founder of Dynamic Teen Company.

For a child to go to school with complete school materials daily and stays for more than 5 hours presents a challenge not only to the poor parents but to the child as well.

Innovative Product – Virtual Classrooms

 

 

Features

• -         -  Can be installed on houses, Barangays, Municipal halls, public libraries

• -          - Equipped with computers, camera

• -          - Computer-aided lectures and materials

• -          - Electronic identification system

Process

• - -     A child can do pre-registration for admission

• -          As the child goes online, performance monitoring and tracking system will be turned on

• -          The systems monitor the child interests and focus level and adjust the lessons accordingly

• -          Subjects/lessons schedule will be properly distributed according to the child availability that was provided during the registration

• -          Where available there will be periodic personal interaction with the real instructors and the registered students

Benefits

• -          A child need not to be physically present in the learning halls like schools, day care centers, etc thus, not limiting his/her availability

• -          With the use of new graphic technologies computer-aided materials like animation and videos will be more interesting compared to the conventional text book, b/w drawings and objects

• -          A child will be more exposed to new technologies like the use of computers at the early age

• -          Lessons can be repeated, adjusted according to child pacing

• -          Supplemental lessons or additional materials that could possibly interests the child could be learned – which normally is not honed or tapped in conventional schools  4