Connectivity, Power Gaps and Old Habits Stall AI in Philippine Schools

AI in PH Education Is Stalled by Infrastructure, Connectivity, and Mindset

AI could lighten teacher workload and personalize learning, but most Philippine schools can't get there yet. The blockers are simple: limited digital infrastructure, shaky connectivity, unstable power in many areas, and a habit of seeing tech as an expense instead of a strategic investment.

Speaking at the sidelines of CanvasCon 2025, University of New South Wales professor Dr. Martin Bean put it plainly: many Filipinos still don't have affordable access to the tools needed to try AI. He added that "in other nations around the world, they see having [technology] infrastructure as important as great buildings or excellent research."

The bottleneck: Access, electricity, and mindset

Ryan Lufkin, vice president for global academic strategy at Instructure, highlighted a baseline issue: reliable electricity. Many rural and economically challenged areas still face interruptions, which makes consistent digital learning hard. Pair that with high device and data costs, and AI adoption stalls at the starting line.

Bean noted another barrier: mindset. Too many institutions treat tech as a cost to cut. He argued the digital experience is "just as valuable, if not more valuable, in some cases, to the physical experience." Without that shift, investment dries up as soon as a crisis fades.

Beyond the pandemic: Resilience is still a need

During the pandemic, Philippine universities rapidly adopted learning tech because they had to. But as soon as campuses reopened, many rolled back spend and focus. Bean pointed out that climate-related disruptions, like floods, still make on-campus learning difficult. Hybrid models and digital continuity are now basic resilience, not a luxury.

Canvas bets on time savings for teachers

At CanvasCon 2025, Instructure showcased upcoming features for its Canvas LMS: an improved student dashboard, new quiz makers, plagiarism detection, and grading tools. The aim is clear-less administrative work for teachers and more time for personalized instruction.

Lufkin said Canvas is open to working with the Department of Education to support public school teachers dealing with large classes and heavy admin loads. He sees "a transformational time in Philippines education" and wants Canvas to be a partner in that shift. Learn more about Canvas at Instructure's site.

The cultural barrier: "tyranny of conventional wisdom"

Bean flagged culture as the hardest hurdle. He called it the "tyranny of conventional wisdom," where institutions resist change and slow-walk new practices. Lufkin countered that digital maturity can free schools from entrenched processes that keep them stuck-and that current government momentum is a chance to move fast instead of defaulting to "we've always done it this way."

What school leaders can do now

• Reframe budgets: Treat tech as core infrastructure. Evaluate total cost of ownership against instructional time saved, continuity during disruptions, and student outcomes.
• Stabilize power: Prioritize backup power for key labs and offices. Map outage hotspots and coordinate with LGUs and utilities for phased fixes.
• Strengthen connectivity: Pool bandwidth at the campus level, set up community Wi-Fi zones near schools, and use offline-first workflows where possible.
• Increase device access: Start with shared device carts and clear BYOD policies. Plan for equitable access so AI tools don't widen gaps.
• Adopt an LMS as the backbone: Use a single hub for content, assignments, analytics, and AI-enabled workflows. Pilot with one department, then scale.
• Reduce teacher admin: Target a clear time-savings goal. Automate grading where appropriate, standardize rubrics, and schedule batch communication windows.
• Invest in staff upskilling: Offer short, recurring training on AI use cases, prompt quality, assessment integrity, and classroom policies. Explore curated options by job role at Complete AI Training.
• Set policy and guardrails: Define acceptable AI use, plagiarism handling, data privacy, and model transparency. Align with guidance from the Department of Education.
• Measure what matters: Track uptime, login rates, time-to-grade, teacher hours reclaimed, and student performance shifts by subject.

A practical 90-day rollout

• Weeks 1-2: Audit power, internet, devices, and teacher workload. Pick two pilot schools or departments with different contexts (urban/rural).
• Weeks 3-6: Install basic power backups in pilot areas. Improve connectivity where feasible. Deploy an LMS pilot and run focused training for a small teacher cohort.
• Weeks 7-10: Turn on AI-assisted features (quizzes, grading workflows, plagiarism detection). Finalize classroom AI policies and communication to students and parents.
• Weeks 11-13: Review data and teacher feedback. Fix bottlenecks. Lock in budget and partnerships for the next phase.

Bottom line

AI won't move in Philippine schools until access, electricity, and mindset change are addressed together. As Bean put it, technology "is just the air we breathe." Treat it like essential infrastructure, build teacher capacity, and use platforms that return time to instruction-not paperwork.

Do that, and AI becomes useful fast: fewer hours on admin, more attention on students, and learning that keeps going even when the campus can't.