Digital Literacy among Elected Barangay Officials as an Input to a Community Extension Program

Abstract

The study determined the digital literacy among elected barangay officials in Agno, Pangasinan as an input to a competency development. A complete enumeration technique was used due to the small size of the population. A total of 56 elected barangay officials comprised the study respondents. The findings revealed that some barangay officials have access to personal computers and digital gadgets at home and in the office using their own mobile data and office internet connectivity. However, the study also observed that some barangay officials have attended training seminars, workshops and tutorials sessions related to basic computer program skills that will generally enhance their knowledge about the fundamental functions and usage of computers at present. This could be a big help to the barangay officials for them to improve their role in service delivery and public administration and effectively and efficiently accomplish their assigned tasks. It calls for better public service through improved efficiency and effectiveness, promotion of transparency, and increased responsiveness. With the support from the Local Government Unit (LGU), it was found that most of the respondents are still on the intermediate level in terms of digital literacy. As limitations towards the usage of digital gadgets and equipment, the study respondents still experienced limitations such as there is fear in using computer and digital gadgets along with not enough supply of electricity. Consequently, it was found that there were no significant differences in terms of abilities and limitations among the male and female barangay officials towards the usage of digital gadgets and equipment. It can be concluded that study respondents are able to use computers at home and in the office using different mode of internet connectivity to access information they need due to the convenience and availability of resources. The study respondents were competent enough to handle their job well however, they listed that “personal knowledge or experience is still insufficient to use digital gadgets and equipment” and “accessing the internet connectivity is costly” may hamper their usage of digital gadgets and equipment. Research implications were also offered.