by Zhanele May Africano
Over a year into remote learning, students and teachers alike have amplified the call for a safe reopening of schools or #LigtasNaBalikEskwela as more and more students get left behind.
It was March last year when President Rodrigo Duterte suspended classes over the coronavirus outbreak. To continue education amid pandemic, the Philippine education system was forced to shift to online learning. Fourteen months later, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chair Prospero de Vera III said that “flexible learning will be the norm.”
This was much to the dismay of many students who, from the get-go, were crossing their fingers and praying for a safe resumption of physical classes. Throughout the school year, several calls for breaks were aired to the national government, CHED, and the Department of Education (DepEd), including #AcademicFreezeNow and #AcademicEase.
But none of these are as important as #LigtasNaBalikEskwela for a number of reasons.
Demanding setup
The continuous rise in COVID-19 cases last year called for an alternative to the traditional setup. Consequently, there have been massive and constant changes in the academic policies and calendars since lockdown began. However, despite these changed, the clamor of the students remains the same.
This is mainly because the transition to distance learning entails major adjustments for students, teachers, and even parents. To effectively work on tasks and requirements, students and teachers must have a conducive home learning environment—a clean desk in a quiet room, free from neighbor noises, is almost ideal for this setup. However, many are forced to attend meetings, review, and finish work in a shared room, sometimes with unending noise from loudspeakers or pets, or attend to house chores. Some are even forced to go outside the house for stronger data connection.
Gadgets like smartphones and laptops have become a necessity for this kind of learning, along with a stable internet connection. Unfortunately, not all families can afford these. And even if they could, this is not a guarantee of smooth and effective learning. Once they experience disconnection due to unreliable Wi-Fi, lack of mobile data, or power outages, it becomes just as difficult to cope with online lessons and discussions.
These demands make education during the pandemic a privilege, not a right. Moreover, as most students and teachers have been at home for their classes, their academic, familial, and personal responsibilities overlap. Often, due to the demands of the setup, other duties are compromised. Unfortunately, this also deprives them of enough rest—sometimes even amounting to no leisure at all.
Heavy mental toll
Another major challenge from this setup is its effect on the mental health of the learners and teachers.
The physical company of friends in school or in the cities where schools are located is an everyday relief. When a lesson is not understood face-to-face, it is not as big of a problem as it is in online learning because friends and study groups are there to discuss them. After long exams and quizzes, the day is not complete without a mini-celebration at a random fast-food joint. Being with friends physically makes education feel more productive and enjoyable.
While in this current setup, the amount of stress is twice, maybe thrice, as heavy. Students struggle and celebrate on their own—if there even is a time to do the latter.
There is also the problem of unequal pace. Not everyone has the capability to finish tasks at the same time. Feeling left behind puts additional one people, too. Then again, academic pressure is not the sole pressure and cause of anxiety everyone needs to face during the pandemic. The sheer incompetence of the state in handling COVID-19 is a cause for concern, especially since everyone wants the pandemic to be over already.
The online workload is yet to be counted. Moreover, excessive use of gadgets and screen fatigue also affect brain function and behavior. Students and teachers are at risk of burnout more than they were before.
Frankly, the question is not why there should be #LigtasNaBalikEskwela, but why the call for #LigtasNaBalikEskwela is not being heeded by those in power.
Apart from the education concerns, #LigtasNaBalikEskwela also covers appeals on mass testing, faster vaccination rollout, and reallocation of the education budget for the safer and gradual reopening of schools.
Filipino students deserve quality education the same way the educators deserve a better working environment. Therefore, the best solution is for the government to realign its pandemic response so that students and teachers can have a #LigtasNaBalikEskwela as soon as possible.
Comments