The national Social Weather Survey of November 21-25, 2020, found 58% of enrolled school-age (5-20 years old) Filipinos using devices for distance learning.
These devices were either already owned (27%), bought (12%), borrowed (10%), given (9%), or rented (0.3%). Meanwhile, 42% said they do not use devices for distance learning.
The question item on the means of acquiring devices for distance learning was directed to the household head. Data were collected on each school-age member currently enrolled in school through one or a combination of the following learning delivery modalities: modular distance learning (MDL), online distance learning (ODL), and TV/radio-based instruction. This report refers to MDL, ODL, and TV/radio-based instruction collectively as distance learning modalities. A combination of one distance learning modality with another or traditional face-to-face learning (F2F) is referred to as blended learning.
The November survey found 80% (est. 23.8 million) of currently enrolled school-age Filipinos exclusively participating in MDL, 14% (est. 4.3 million) exclusively in ODL, 1% (est. 302,000) exclusively in F2F, and 0.1% (est. 38,000) exclusively in TV/radio-based instruction. Meanwhile, 4% (correctly rounded) are in blended learning, with 4% (est. 1.2 million) in mixed MDL and ODL, and 0.6% (est. 178,000) in mixed F2F and MDL learning.
Among the 13% (correctly rounded) of enrolled school-age Filipinos who bought or rented devices for distance learning, 79% got a smartphone, 13% got a desktop/laptop, 5% got a TV, and 3% got a tablet.
SWS: 58% of enrolled school-age Filipinos use devices for distance learning
By area, buying or renting a smartphone is most common in Balance Luzon (86%), although large percentages did the same in Mindanao (77%), the Visayas (76%), and Metro Manila (60%). Meanwhile, buying a desktop/laptop is higher in Metro Manila (34%), compared to the Visayas (17%), Mindanao (10%), and Balance Luzon (7%).
By type of locale, more students acquired a smartphone in rural areas (86%) compared to in urban areas (74%), while more in urban areas bought desktops/laptops (19%) compared to in rural areas (5%.)
By educational attainment of the household head, buying or renting a smartphone is more common among students whose household heads have lower educational attainment. It is most common among those whose household head only has some elementary education (95%), followed by among those with up to some junior high school education (85%), those with up to some college education (77%), and among college graduates (66%).
Meanwhile, buying or renting a desktop/laptop is more common among students with college-graduate household heads (29%) compared to those with less education (5-11%).