NAME: Mikaela Rae D.

Cruz

SECTION: 11 STEM B

“ACADEMIC FREEZE”

Why are we still romanticizing underprivileged Filipino academic resilience and

sacrificing the lives of "hope for the future"—when there is still no national mass testing
— only to restart classrooms? With a pandemic of mental health and a digital divide
reaching deeper into our educational system, a "academic freeze" must be considered-
at least until and unless the curve has flattened and widespread testing has been
carried out. A COVID-19 vaccine should be produced, at most. This involves the
suspension of classes or the subsequent academic years in all learning modes: on-site,
off-site, online and offline. Imagine being online for weeks, paying for the internet and
going to computer stores, just for the sake of compliance, when families suffer and
others have little to eat, only worrying about how to live everyday. By moving into a "off-
site and online" learning mode, the digital divide evident in our educational sphere will
only resurface further. Not everybody has a secure internet link and some students will
find it difficult or worse, impossible to hit a signal. Institutions equipped to enforce this
process, by providing gadgets and student allowances, would merely increase
institutional incompetence in solving students' internet access problems (not to mention
the proper gadgets) across the world, as it would leave students in most institutions
behind because of their incapacity to take such steps. Forcing teachers to prepare for
the next term is equivalent to also overlooking their conditions. Cognitive skills may be
enriched through online classes, but it would only leave the class to be teacher-centric
while emotional and motor skills may be undermined, as there is no hands-on guidance,
physical experimentation, and practical activities. The learning materials and
specifications can be distributed both by mail in the alternative "off-site and offline"
mode. But this set-up which force families to find a way to get money for courier fees,
among other items, if they want to allocate it for their needs — unless the school
handles the delivery fees. This lack of understanding ensures that our educational
system turns a blind eye to how we should support and what we should focus on— the
frontlines, the underprivileged and the curve flattened. Rather than saving a group for
the "society's dreams," it actually impairs our mental health. Instead of giving priority to
safety and protection, it clearly represents something else. It might not be the ideal
option, but a "academic freeze" should be implemented before the digital divide has
been fully overcome or the effects of mass research and curve-flattening are also
empirically tested. This will require a flexible academic term, calendar and curriculum to
reduce the required school days, lower the number of course requirements, and reduce
tuition and other fees that are currently scheduled for the use of school facilities.
Economically affected, agencies, companies, and institutions, whether public or private,
can encourage graduating students to apply for a job during the “academic freeze” to
uplift local businesses, but they should be lenient in the submission of their academic
requirements for employment. Furthermore, a possible loan with no interest agreement,
public-private partnership, or government-business coordination can incentivize school
employees and contractual workers so they will still be motivated in sustaining and
improving their morale and productivity to provide quality education, post-pandemic.
Early resumption of classes will just cause additional burden to families and guardians
providing tuition and allowances as the transition to “new normal” let’s all of us, most
especially the indigents, prioritize basic necessities from square one. “Academic freeze”
will give the country time to have effective and efficient mass testing or mass
vaccination; not only in the hands of one, but for a collective and responsive system to
push through this pandemic. As far as there are underprivileged students who are
victims of a distorted system, an “academic freeze” is the most plausible option for
students, teachers, and school administrators. It allows them to collaborate in helping
our frontliners, assisting our local governments, and in helping the country recover from
an economic recession by conducting inclusive socio-economic volunteer mobilization
programs. No student should be left behind. Education is a right, but crisis response
speaks of valuing human lives. Why “Academic Freeze” is Our Best Option Now?
COVID-19 prompted widespread closures of schools and universities across the
Philippines. While the adults deal with the worst of this crisis, the children stay at home.
That’s how it’s supposed to be. However, online classes don’t give everyone the option
to just stay at home. Online Classes are Anti-Poor because of the online classes setup
include buying gadgets and paying for the internet, both expenses that many Filipino
families cannot afford during a time of Pandemic. The idea of getting academically left
behind, however, is a mental and emotional pressure that many students would do
everything to avoid. Students also started hashtags on Twitter such as
#PisoParaSaLaptop, #PiroParasaTuition, #PisoParaSaOnlineClass. They put their
GCASH accounts and ask online netizens for “ayuda” to financially support their online
classes expenses. These students want to continue their education so badly that they
are willing to resort to methods that might put them in danger. The digital divide exists in
the Philippine education system for the longest time, but the Pandemic exposed just
how bad it is. The digital divide is the barrier between those who have access to
computers and the internet and those who don’t. Educational attainment is heavily
affected by the digital divide, and this remains true to many countries in the world. Many
provinces in the Philippines have a slim to none access to the internet connection.
Students and teachers would have to climb high places to get internet access.
Therefore, the transition to online classes will put certain Filipino student population at a
stark disadvantage. If there’s no internet connection, how can the students do research
work? How can they interact with their instructors? How can they learn? Education must
not be exclusive for people who are privileged enough to have a laptop and a stable
internet connection .Education is for everyone. In Mental Health Crisis, students are
among the most vulnerable population to mental health issues. Young people are still
developing, and social interaction is an essential component of their well-being. Clearly,
this is not the best time for academic burdens. There are also many students who don’t
find their homes particularly conducive to learning. Not everyone has the privilege to
have a separate, personal room from the rest of the family. Academic requirements can
take its toll on the mental health of young people. Especially those who are also
struggling financially. Therefore, mental health must also be one of the aspects that the
Department of Education is looking into. The Philippines is facing unprecedented health,
economic, and social challenges. The “normal” days are behind us. Therefore, we
should stop trying to keep up the “normal” things in the times of “new normal”. Until all
the struggles mentioned above are properly addressed, and mass testing is well
underway, freezing the academic school year might be our best option for now.
However, these methods were criticized for its lack of consideration for other students.
Academic and youth groups appealed for an “academic freeze” where classes would be
canceled whether online or offline. This is until a mass testing for the virus is carried out
or until a vaccine is created. But both DepEd and CHED announced the resumption of
classes which are now set to begin this August despite the evident concerns that are yet
to be addressed. Students are left with no choice but to settle with what is now
considered as the “new normal” era of the Philippine education system. With these
alternative ways being introduced, it tries to assess some pros and cons of these
proposed temporary learning solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced the
concept of physical distancing as a way to mitigate the transmission of the virus. Hence,
the usual face-to-face classes are nearly impossible to implement in this kind of setting.
Online classes are a good way to continue the learning routine of students without going
physically to their respective schools. It is considered as a modern method of instruction
that has already been practiced prior to this pandemic. However, it drew strong
criticisms from students, teachers and parents as it lacked inclusivity in general.
Students who are financially unstable struggle with this form of education. Gadgets such
as phones, tablets, laptops, desktops as well as a stable internet connection are
required to successfully and effectively attend an online class. A small price to pay for
the privileged but a torturous nightmare for the poor. The money invested for a single
online class is enough to feed a family. The idea of online classes is good but to force it
into every student’s situation is unfair. A parent who only earns 200 pesos a day would
never think of a smartphone as something that his/her family needs. Not all can afford
the materials needed and there are necessities that are much more important for a
family that struggles to survive each day. Flexible learning is defined as the method of
learning where a student can choose how, what, when, and where they want to learn.
Some schools have adapted it in a form of modular learning where students are given
work modules for their subjects. In this way, it can cater the issue of weak internet
connection in the country and give partial consideration to the poor. However, it
provides a weak foundation on the learning of every student. There are various cases
where even face-to-face classes do not make a learner fully understand the concepts
being taught— what more could a lifeless module do? A student may struggle with
understanding lessons that would require clarifications from teachers. With their
absence, students may possibly fail to grasp the lessons provided on the module. It also
puts additional burden for the parents since modular learning implores their help in
supervising their children’s work. For some parents, this might not be a problem. For
some who tirelessly work all day under a “no work, no pay” agreement, helping their
children on their school work will be difficult to prioritize. Putting food on their tables will
always be their primary concern. The government also suggested using televisions and
radios as a medium of learning. However, this plan of theirs is still vague especially on
how it will successfully execute the approach. An alarming scenario could also be
expected in tertiary education and graduate school. Even with online learning, skills-
based degree programs such engineering and sciences are certainly ineffective if
modular learning is applied. The rigorous practical training for these courses are hard to
imagine in both non-traditional learning methods. The unavailability of laboratory
materials and absence of professional supervision provides a feeble training for the
students. If forced upon the undergraduate and graduate students, this country might
produce a weak human resource in the near future. Implementing a nationwide
academic freeze is probably the most reasonable among all approaches. In a nutshell, it
saves students from the burden of unstable internet connection, unreasonable tuition
fees, and half-baked learning. However, it might also not be healthy and ideal in the
long run. A scenario where students becoming “stagnant” is possible. The enthusiasm
to learn may slowly decrease as students spend more days in their homes with no
academic works and assignments to focus on. Academic freeze might also encourage
other students not to return to school, especially with students coming from poor
families. They are one of those people who took the initiative to find a job amid this
crisis so that they can help their parents with their everyday needs. Without the
presence of academics, students may forget the importance of education and will be
less likely to enroll in the next semester. Even situations concerning sensitive issues
may also arise as students spend less time in school or with school works. Cases of
teenage pregnancies, domestic violence and harassment, as well as drug abuse may
increase especially in families who already have a history with such problems. Where
should we go? Apparently, we need to admit that traditional face-to-face learning is still
the most ideal form of education. But because of this pandemic, it is no longer in our
best interest. The only thing left to do is to urge the government to improve the current
situation and gradually end this pandemic once and for all. It is the only way to save the
students, parents, and teachers from the misery of unprepared and forced education.

If the government can successfully flatten the curve, each sector of the society will
slowly be able to revert back to its normal state— a better scenario for all Filipinos who
are still hoping for a better Philippines. Reasons for academic freeze, the reasons
provided has been expressed in different ways; the general ideas are usually the
following: No child left behind: Not everyone can afford the technology needed for e-
learning. Some parents cannot guide their children to work on learning modules (either
they are too busy making ends meet or didn't reach the educational level their children
are currently taking). Thus, the proponents' solution is it's better to have an academic
freeze than have some children advance in grade level and others left behind. Distance
education does not work: Online education and printed learning modules are no
substitute to the traditional classroom. The classroom is not just a lecturer standing in
front of learners; they also facilitate activities that aid in the acquisition of knowledge
and develop their motor and social skills. Distance education may relay knowledge and
processes, but it cannot develop motor and social skills. Together with these reasons,
the academic freeze's proponents have different ideas on when the academic freeze
can be lifted. Academic freeze for one year. Better to delay a child's education for just
one year rather than put them at risk of getting infected with the Wuhan virus. Until a
vaccine is available: The academic freeze must remain until a vaccine for Wuhan virus
is discovered and becomes available to the public. Reasons not to academic freeze, the
reasons provided has been expressed in different ways; the general ideas are usually
the following: Teachers will lose their jobs: During this time of the pandemic, several
businesses closed and consequently, people lose their jobs. Some lose their jobs due to
government regulations, for example, bus and jeepney drivers cannot ferry passengers
due to quarantine. We need to not add teachers among those who are jobless for at
least a year. Distance education works: Distance education modalities like printed
modules and online education may not be the same as traditional classrooms, but they
work. The pandemic should not stop anyone from learning, and to keep ourselves safe
while also learning, distance education is the best option that we can use. Also, some
students prefer online education over the traditional classroom. I'm graduating in a year:
There are college students who are due to graduate within a year. Some of them are
graduating to take jobs that are much needed during the pandemic, such as nurses,
medical technicians, computer engineers, and data scientists. If there is an academic
freeze, we are halting students who are due to graduate, and we deny our society the
workforce it needs during this crisis. After weighing both sides, my conclusion is to say
NO to academic freeze. While those who are pushing for academic freeze have valid
points and good intentions, they are insufficient reason to stop education. During this
pandemic, we need to stay safe, but otherwise, we should strive to continue living with
some alterations. If your employer allows you to work from home, why resign from your
work? If the groceries are open, and you can continue buying under strict social
distancing protocol, why starve yourself? Resorting to academic freeze when there are
methods available to continue education despite the pandemic is tantamount to
resigning and starving when you don't have to. Those arguing for no child left behind
are blinded by the idealistic sense of equality that created communism. Education has
never been equal even without the pandemic. There are schools with better libraries,
better laboratories, and better classrooms. Are we supposed to forbid these schools
from having these advantages? Public schools conduct their classes under the tree or in
an open area during calamities because their classrooms are used as evacuation
centers. Should we force private schools to conduct classes in the same manner? The
pandemic did not create inequality; it only altered the inequality that already exists. The
idea that distance education is not as effective as traditional classroom education is not
entirely true. It can be better for subjects that require the acquisition of knowledge and
skills through self-practice, such as science and mathematics. It can also depend on the
student; some are comfortable watching videos to see how something (say a
mathematical process) is done, while some are more comfortable having a teacher
show it to them. However, in these times of pandemic, we may not have what's best for
everyone, but we need to do with what we have. Distance education might not teach our
children to navigate playground politics or social skills, but who knows: such dynamics
might still be present among classmates in Zoom or Teams. Distance education allows
our children to continue learning while keeping them safe from the Wuhan virus, so let's
use it. Those pushing for academic freeze for a year since it's just a year, the solution is
not to enroll your children—or yourself if you're already in college—for a year. After all,
it's just a year. Why stop everyone else? Using the vaccine as the parameter to decide
whether to reopen the classes or not is downright unrealistic. While many
pharmaceutical companies are now researching and developing vaccines for the
Wuhan virus, do not assume that a vaccine will be available until they are tested and
shown to work without adverse side effects. HIV was first reported in 1981, and until
now, it has no vaccine. What if a vaccine is never developed? Are we going to stop all
schooling and send the human civilization back to the Middle Ages? There is nothing for
me to add except to nod in agreement, that we cannot afford to have teachers lose their
jobs. Also, those who are about to enter the workforce for much-needed jobs during the
pandemic should not be delayed. With or without the pandemic, there's always
inequality among the students: inequality of opportunity and inequality of the quality of
education. However, our society tries to reduce inequality by providing educational
opportunities to the poor but deserving students. How do we determine who is
deserving? Using examinations, of course: government agencies such as DepEd and
DOST, as well as various private foundations, provide scholarships to those who can
pass the scholarship exam they administer.The same solution can apply to students
during the pandemic. Those who are enrolled this academic year can course through
their current grade level, obtain a passing grade, and go to the next grade level. For
those who cannot enroll for various reasons, they may still try to educate themselves at
their own pace using any resources they can muster. When the pandemic is over, and
the schools can resume their regular operation, those who missed a grade level can
take an accelerated exam to determine their eligibility to enroll to the next level.