ABS-CBN offers distance learning channel to government

MANILA, Philippines — ABS-CBN Corp. is offering to help the government’s distance learning scheme through the broadcast giant’s Knowledge Channel, which it said could reach more than a fourth of the expected 27 million enrollees this school year.

As the government shifts to distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ABS-CBN said Knowledge Channel is ready to share its video lessons that could reach as many as 7.6 million students.

“Knowledge Channel is prepared to work with the government. We have created and acquired more than a thousand video lessons, all based on the K-12 curriculum of the Department of Education (DepEd) and these are ready for use,” Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI) director for operations Edric Calma said.

For more than two decades, KCFI has acquired and developed multimedia educational materials that public schools nationwide, especially in remote regions, used to enhance teaching and learning.

Calma said KCFI has developed into video format 50 percent of the most essential learning competencies that the DepEd requires to be taught for the school year, and they are capable of developing the remaining 50 percent easily.

He said the 21st century DepEd curriculum is about understanding and creating designs, systems and processes, unlike in the past when students were just required to memorize.

“Subjects like mathematics and the sciences involve understanding of processes, and they need to be visually illustrated for kids to understand. With this kind of curriculum, we need TV,” Calma said.

ABS-CBN said Knowledge Channel’s method of using TV technology has proven to improve the performance of children in school as proven by studies conducted by the DLSU La Sallian Institute for Development and Educational Research and the UP Statistical Center for Research Foundation.

Alice Panares, who sits in the board of the National Council for Children’s Television, said the government is faced with the near-impossible task of training a 900,000-strong teaching workforce to teach students using media before the August opening of classes.

To address this problem, Panares suggested that Knowledge Channel be tapped at the very onset of the distance learning program.

“While the teachers are being trained, why not tap first the lessons of Knowledge Channel since it already has existing materials. Knowledge Channel has done a very complete work in educating the students in different areas,” Panares said.

Panares said Knowledge Channel is ready with the different subjects that are already in the form of TV lessons made for different grade levels.