Internet Cafes as eLearning Centers During the Covid19 Pandemic – Issues and Challenges

In the last few days. I’ve been hearing of several educational initiatives on how schools will conduct learning activities for the school year 2020 – 2021.   The  Corona19 pandemic puts a big challenge to schools on how to continue their operations and ensure that children would continue learning. Face to face in classroom learning is dangerous right now without the vaccine needed to control Covid19.  Alternative, Modular, Online or, Cloud learning are now being floated around as an alternative to Face to Face in classroom learning. School children will spend more of their time at home and have their learning modules delivered to them through the various educational platforms that are now available.

          One of the most interesting news lately is that congress is studying at the possibility of creating a law that would make internet cafes as centers for distance learning for the poor that don’t have internet access.  Numerous consultations had been done in the previous years regarding using internet cafes as access centers for learning.  Based on those discussions the following concerns were raised:

1.     Internet Café is not suitable centers of learning because of the manner that they are set up as gaming centers –it is mostly located in commercial centers where the price of rent is very high per square meter.  Operators tend to fit as many units as possible to maximize the use of their commercial space. Thus it is often very crowded spaces where there is a lot of distraction.  Gamers tend to like dark environments for them to concentrate on their gaming. Most internet cafes are not well lighted and sometimes gloomy.  With Covid19 social distancing must be observed to keep the students safe.

2.     Security and Actual Use –Internet Cafés are public places that would surely rent out their computers to others after the allotted time for students is over. A system must be in place to ensure their accounts won’t be hacked and be used by others.  Also how to ensure that the allotted time given to the students would be solely used for learning not for gaming and accessing social media. Security protocols must be in place for online testing to ensure its integrity.

3.     The Internet Café owners capacity to assist students when they are encountering problems in the use of the learning management system used by schools for online learning – Internet Café owners will be obligated to be trained in the use of the online learning management system, other learning software and learning materials to be used in the operations of the learning centers to assist students during their learning sessions.

4.     Schedule of use – is the time allotted for learning will be used exclusively by the students or will they be allowed also to cater to their other clients.

5.     Payment System – how will they be paid? What is the rate will it be per hour or per usage? Will it be the school, local government, or DepEd? What is the source of funding for this program that is in line with the allocated budget for the year?