TACLOBAN CITY — Students in colleges and universities could gain wider and more equitable access to digital learning resources and high-speed internet under a measure approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading.
The House on Wednesday, August 12, approved House Bill No. 9532, or the proposed “Universal Access to Digital Academic Learning Resources Act,” principally authored and sponsored by Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.
Acidre said the measure seeks to address persistent barriers faced by students, particularly the high cost of textbooks and mobile data, limited access to academic materials, and unreliable internet connectivity.
“We already know how important digital access is to learning. If books are lacking, mobile data is expensive, or the internet connection is poor, that immediately puts a student at a disadvantage. We want to remove as many of those barriers as we can,” Acidre said.
Under the bill, a National Academic Content Repository will be established under the supervision and management of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and higher education institutions.
The repository will serve as a nationwide platform where students and faculty can freely access digital textbooks, lecture videos, syllabi, research papers and other open educational resources.
The measure requires materials uploaded to the platform to undergo quality assurance and be accessible, inclusive and culturally relevant.
The bill also seeks to address internet connectivity by directing the DICT, in partnership with higher education institutions, to provide free and secure campus-wide high-speed Wi-Fi to enrolled students and faculty.
Rural and under-resourced campuses will be prioritized during the initial implementation of the program.
The measure further provides grants to higher education institutions and faculty members for the development and digitization of locally produced academic materials. It also directs CHED to work with publishers to secure affordable or open-access arrangements for educational resources.
Acidre said the proposed policy is intended to ensure that digital learning becomes a tool for reducing, rather than widening, inequality among students.
“Getting a student into college is only the first step. We also have to make sure that once they are there, they have the books, materials, connectivity, and academic support they need to keep learning and to succeed,” he said.
“For digital learning to expand opportunity, access cannot depend on a student’s income, location, or ability to pay for data. We have to make sure that technology helps close the gaps in higher education instead of reinforcing them,” Acidre added.
The measure will now be transmitted to the Senate for consideration.
(JOEY A. GABIETA, LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
