Public ODeL: Perspectives of Distance Education among Government Employees at the Roxas City Local Government
Bryan Mari Argos
Roxas City Local Government, Philippines
Distance education can be viewed as a means of professional development for government employees who are frequently forced to dismiss the possibility of continuing education because of the demands of public service, among other reasons. The qualification standards of the Civil Service Commission of the Philippines include higher attainments in education as a qualification for many government positions. However, and perhaps surprisingly, not many government employees and officials enroll in distance education courses. This qualitative study explores, via interviews, the perceptions of distance education of government employees at the Roxas City Local Government. The study uses narratives and derives its analytic frame from the perceived realities in the researched community and in knowledge that is co-constructed by the researcher and the researched community. Among others, the study seeks to determine how government employees view distance education and what it represents to them as public servants; it identifies the reasons why government employees in the said local government unit barely attempt to enroll themselves in distance education courses despite the opportunities that this can offer; and it attempts to make recommendations for how distance education can be improved to be more responsive to the needs of government employees.
Key words: public service, government, distance education, Roxas City Hall