Good books and teachers are
irreplaceable, and television complements them.
The setting up of television sets in public school
classrooms under the proposed cyber education project
brings up the issue whether a satellite-fed lecture is a
more effective tool for teaching than books and
classroom interaction. The program does not call for
totally abolishing day-to-day teacher-student classroom
discussions. However, it takes on a distance learning
type of schooling, where live lecture feeds from DepEd
main office are sent to individual television sets. This
puts emphasis on TV as the main information source.
The advantages of television education cannot be denied.
Regular television programs are enriched with
entertaining visualizations, making it easier for the
viewer to process the information he acquires from them.
One does not necessarily have to have a cable to access
different channels. There is always an antenna, no
matter how bad the reception is, to back up. News,
movies, soap operas and all other kinds of programs are
only a few clicks on the remote control. Given the
relative importance of and exposure in television, it is
not surprising that the government used this medium to
address the poor education quality in the country. A
12-channel television network specifically focused on
the five subject areas would be a big leap in television
programming amidst commercialization and advertising
issues if the program is pursued. However, these reasons
alone do not offset the importance of reading books and
engaging in hands-on teaching.
Well-written books stimulate the mind to think logically
and analytically. They make us active readers,
commenting on each of the author’s arguments.
Television, on the other hand, makes us passive viewers.
One could not help but agree on what is presented in
from of him when information flow is so spontaneous and
free-flowing. Where books give us time to digest and
critique information even after reading them several
times, television only leaves us messages at the spur of
the moment. Daily lecture broadcasts are also no
substitute for physically-present teachers instructing
their students. There should always be someone ready to
answer a student’s query. Teachers serve in part as
reflective of what the student would become.
I concede that neither books and teachers alone nor an
expensive television education program which has to be
reviewed in terms of practicality and logistical
concerns suffices in giving the best quality education
our youth should receive. Books have to be accurate,
well-written, and adequately provided by for the
students. Teachers have to competent and justly
compensated. There is nothing wrong with making ideal,
grandiose plans. But in the presence of other problems
inherent in this country’s educational system, a cyber
education program is not yet the path to be taken. –
JENNY ROSE P. OLFINDO, UP Diliman, Quezon City
