The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), stated in an email to the Bicol regional office of Philippine Information Agency (PIA) that the institute and education experts are mulling on pursuing a new mode of delivering education called Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCS, which capitalizes on modern communications particularly the Internet and interactive learning systems, looks promising in expanding educational opportunities and addressing cost, quality, and time considerations. Education experts observed that quality and cost often go hand in hand, making opportunities more inequitable particularly for the less privileged, while working professionals also need to continuously acquire new knowledge relevant to their jobs and learn new skills to thrive in an increasingly competitive labor market. Apart from quality and cost, time is a major constraint for workers as full-time schooling means a reduction in their income if they are not allowed to go on study leave with pay. In a recent education experts’ forum last month, educators from major public and private education institutions in the country examined the potential benefits for the Philippines from MOOCs should they be adopted and scaled up. The forum was organized by the education team of state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) headed by Senior Research Fellow Aniceto Orbeta and Senior Research Consultant Vicente Paqueo, as part of a joint project between the PIDS and the Commission on Higher Education.
