Align digital push with education reform – group

MANILA, Philippines — Consumer advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines yesterday asked the government, telecommunications companies and education institutions to move in closer step with one another, saying the country’s digital infrastructure gains need a matching push to make the most of the new upper-middle-income status.

In a statement, CitizenWatch Philippines co-convenor and former representative Kit Belmonte said the country’s upper-middle-income classification is an encouraging marker of how the country has struggled with decades of stunted growth and an urgency to bring education to keep pace with the momentum of a digital economy.

Belmonte underscored the need for a shared roadmap that treats connectivity and classroom readiness as complementing endeavors.

“Government and industry have moved with real intent on infrastructure – fiber, 5G, data centers, AI-ready networks. That progress deserves recognition. The opportunity now is to bring education reform into that same rhythm, so the investment in connectivity and the investment in learning are advancing together rather than on separate timelines,” Belmonte said.

He noted the need for teacher training programs to keep up with new tools, more devices to public schools to make the most of connectivity, and curriculum reviews at the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education.

“Artificial intelligence sits right at the intersection of these priorities. AI-powered personalized learning, adaptive assessments, and intelligent tutoring systems are not future concepts; they are tools that can be deployed now to help teachers reach students at different paces and levels” Belmonte said.