Digital divide in the Philippines

The digital divide the Philippines refers to inequalities between individuals, households, and other groups of different demographic and socioeconomic levels in the Philippines in access to information and communication technologies ("ICTs") and in the knowledge and skills needed to effectively use the information gained from connecting.[1][2][3][4]

Main articles: Digital divide and Global digital divide

Background

In the Philippines about 47 to 50% of the population can and has access to the Internet.[5] Initially the Philippines only had BBS (Bulletin board system) access, however after March 29, 1994 the Philippine Network Foundation (PHNet) connected the country to the web via Sprint. As of 2010, 29.3 million Filipinos were using the internet.[6][7] The digital divide is impacted by several factors that includes income and education. Jim-yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group, has stated that “We must continue to connect everyone and leave no one behind because the cost of lost opportunities is enormous. But for digital dividends to be widely shared among all parts of society, countries also need to improve their business climate, invest in people's education and health, and promote good governance.”[8]

Impact on politics and culture

Based on Philippines government research, there is a noticeable rise of Internet use in the Philippines after it was first introduced on March 29, 1994. “They were connected to the internet via SprintLink”,[9] this changed the Philippines culturally and politically. Social media is a leading motive for Internet use in the Philippines, but Internet use also plays a big part in their political communications. The Philippine presidential election of Estrada is where Internet use for politics started to take form.[10] Due to the protests, Filipinos used Internet to display charges against Estrada.[10]

Education

The Philippines was the only country in the Southeast Asia region that had a declining youth literacy rate between the years of 1990 and 2004, according to data from the United Nations. This prompted major school reforms and in 2012, a K-12 school curriculum was introduced which included a year of kindergarten and two senior school years. The Department of Education in the Philippines (DepEd) goal for students who graduate from the K-12 curriculum is for these students to understand technology works and how they can benefit from it.[11]

The curriculum of this program focuses on developing students to be comfortable with using computers and technology. Some examples are that in grade 4 students will learn how to use the basic functions of the computer, including the use of the internet and emailing, in safe ways. In grade 6, students will begin taking art classes to learn how to use technology for digital paintings and graphic designs. In grade 7, students will begin learning how to academically use the internet for journals and searching for academic sources for essays and other similar assignments. In the higher upper level grades, the curriculum will include schools that specialize in computer education as well as science and technology. The Philippines being able to close in on the technology gap after being so behind in the 1990s and early 2000s is going to very much improve the graduation rate of the students now that they can study at home and use their sources to their advantage through tablets and computers instead of only being able to access their school work in the classroom.[12]

References
  1. Norris, P. 2001. Digital divide: Civic engagement, information poverty and the Internet world- wide. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge Univ. Press.
  2. "FALLING THROUGH THE NET: A Survey of the "Have Nots" in Rural and Urban America". doc.gov.
  3. Patricia, J.P. 2003. 'E-government, E-Asean Task force, UNDP-APDIP'(PDF)
  4. Mossberger, K., C.J. Tolbert, and M. Stansbury. 2003. Virtual inequality: Beyond the digital divide. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
  5. "What is the digital divide?". 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
  6. Hoeffel, Elizabeth; Rastogi, Sonya; Ouk Kim, Myoung; Shahid, Hasan. "The Asian Population: 2010" (PDF). Census Bureau. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  7. Russell, Jon. "Philippines named Social Networking Capital of the World". Asian Correspondent. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  8. "Millions of Filipinos suffer the social injustice of digital divide: World Bank report". BusinessMirror Philippines. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
  9. "History of Internet in the Philippines". GOVPH. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  10. Karan, Kavita; Gimeno, Jacques; Tandoc, Edson. "Internet and Social Networking Sites in Election Campaigns: Gabriela Women's Party in Philippines wins the 2007 Elections". Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  11. Clark, Nick. "Education in the Philippines". World Education News & Reviews. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  12. Cruz, Isagani. "Technology in K to 12". Philippine Star. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
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