Quest to Persist

By: Joyce Anne B. Chavez

As we all know, the declaration of COVID-19 pandemic as a global health crisis
has caused a significant disruption and destitution in nearly every aspect of our lives.
This dramatic adjustment in our day-to-day operation has planted every one of us,
including the sector of education, in a place of uncertainty and skepticism. From the
normal face-to-face classes, schools and other educational institutions were compelled
to transition to remote learning, a method which raised eyebrows and hoisted doubts in
the part of many whether it would yield efficiency and competency in the long run.
Now that the school year 2020-2021 is about to come to an end, the Department
of Education is already considering the implementation of limited face-to-face classes in
the next school year in response to the challenges being posed by blended learning to
both the students and the educators. Just recently, DepEd has determined the 300
schools which will be subjected for pilot testing limited face-to-face classes.
There’s no denying that this unforeseeable shift in our learning set-up this school
year made educational productivity a great hurdle both on the part of the students and
the faculty members; however, given the fact that our country is still recovering from the
crippling blow of this global pandemic, getting students back into the classroom as early
as possible would entail serious consideration and deliberation by the decision-making
bodies.
For one, the 5,630 average reported new infections per day is not getting any
lesser despite the existing preventive measures that the government is implementing. In
fact, as of June 2021, there have been 1,372,232 infections and 23,928 coronavirus-
related deaths recorded in the country since the pandemic began. This, along with the
fact that only 3.9% of the country’s population has been vaccinated since most vaccines
currently approved for use around the world under emergency authorization are not
advisable to be administered to children under 16 years old, already poses a grave
threat on the part of the students and the educators involved in this learning continuity
program being proposed by DepEd.
Aside from these, preparing the schools, especially those which were converted
as isolation wards and quarantine dormitories, for in-person learning would not be an
easy feat considering that we only have a little time to spare until the new academic
calendar begins to unfold once again. In fact, according to UNICEF, for the resumption
of face-to-face classes to take into place, it would require a number of policy measures
and clear guidelines including implementation of a communication plan with schools and
community members, hygiene promotion, more handwashing facilities, disinfection and
ventilation of classrooms, safety food preparation, access to transportation and
prevention of stigma and discrimination which clearly, majority of the educational
institutions, even those at low-risk areas, do not have.
 Yes, the current alternative mode of learning being catered to the students and
the educators has its fair share of shortcomings and negative effects such as learning
loss, high drop out rates, mental health problems and socio-economic issues however,
at the moment, it is the only feasible method in order to ensure that learning will not be
put on hold while the rest of us are hoping for a safer in-person “balik eskwela”.
In our quest to persist in delivering quality education amidst the pandemic, we
have not only created new ways to approach teaching, learning, and life in general but
we have also generated a window of opportunity to reshape the education system to a
new paradigm that is more flexible and robust. As much as we yearn for the resumption
of face-to-face learning, getting our feet back on physical classrooms while the entire
country is struggling to make ends meet would be a luxury none of us can afford.