FADRIGON, QLEOUS BLUMEI

BSED-GENERAL SCIENCE II

REFLECTION PAPER ON NAST REGIONAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING

By watching and participating in the NAST Regional Scientific Meeting, I can say that I am
strongly agree with the key message of the NAST Regional Scientific Meeting, which reported the
pandemic on education, vaccination hesitancy, and the dichotomy between health and economy.
Due to the Corona virus, which was first identified and established in Wuhan, China, on December
31, 2019, the current global situation has had a significant effect on the global economic, social, and
health systems in the twenty-first century.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a particularly negative impact on education. According to
UNESCO, more than 1 billion students worldwide are affected, accounting for more than 60% of the
student population and more than 15% of the global population. Furthermore, this organization cites
many roadblocks, including gaps in remote learning, the cost of the digital divide (defined as the
difference in access to technology or the Internet), and the role of schools in students' health and
well-being. In collaboration with the Luzon DOST cluster, the National Academy of Science and
Technology Philippines held a virtual meeting to address the effect of the pandemic on our
educational system in Luzon. Also addressed at this meeting was a solution for the new normal
school, which calls for teachers and students to work together to maintain a high standard of
education. NAST PHL has served as a sign of the nation's commitment to science charge since
1976. As an academy of recognized experts, NAST PHL serves as the nation's principal advisor on
science, technology, and innovation that contributes to national growth. Speakers addressed
students' motivations in their learning and the DepEd's mobilization plans to resolve these issues in
the new normal and outlook on the educational system, which should be responsible for this new
update. The protection of students and employees is more important, but due to the pandemic, this is
proving difficult. Students must be taught, but this is challenging due to the lack of face-to-face
classrooms. In particular, the balance between protection and the provision of effective learning is a
major concern. We need more budget for Education year to deal with online education and prepare
for the new normal world, and they say that some of the funds are insufficient.
As students, we must develop a solid learning foundation by passing our field so that we can
approach learning by regularly measuring learning, which teachers can use to remediate and bridge
learning gaps. In the meantime, we must concentrate on what we can do now, such as introducing
the PPAN, to protect a child's first 1,000 days and prepare them for life. In education, we need to
measure learning systematically and separately to remediate and bridge learning differences in order
to create a powerful teaching force by passing the already filed teach bill that will be debated in
Congress. Schools must seriously equip and train themselves for a fast and healthy return to face-to-
face teaching and learning. Prior to COVID-19, many students found traditional education
ineffective, and some students were unable to take an online course due to a lack of financial
resources. Even when there is a pandemic, some Filipino students can take on a part-time job to
supplement their income and continue their education.
The government believes that having a good and quality education is a remedy for having a
good and quality education from time to time because education in this quarantine due to pandemic
has had a bad outcome. According to one of the panelists, Dr. Maria Teresita M. Seman, OIC-
Regional Director and CHED-III, the desired situation will produce temporary and effective solutions
to the following challenges that each of them faces in providing continuous quality education while
ensuring the health and safety of the higher education community during and after the pandemic.
The panelists discussed the health risks that every employee and student face during the meeting.
The suspension of classes has resulted in the non-travel or controlled travel due to CQ. Some higher
education institutions, faculty, and students are not able to embrace flexible learning. Curricula and
syllabi have not yet been updated to reflect the new normal. The internet access is weak or non-
existent in some areas. Financial problems faced by families whose businesses or markets have
closed are some of the issues that our country is facing and for which we are looking for a solution
because they are already having a significant negative effect on our lives. Their learning losses
during the Pandemic, such as lost opportunities, missed learning opportunities, study delayed, and
job immersion for high school students due to the system's lack of readiness, have all left them in a
state of shock. At that point, no school was looking ahead. A long-haul vacation is needed to plan a
system. Since the pandemic, distance or remote learning was not a consideration, which is why
students are not physically, socially, mentally, or emotionally prepared.
Vaccination apprehension was also addressed during the NAST virtual conference, with
millions of Filipinos fearful of getting vaccinated. The majority of countries around the world are
struggling and are unable to decide the best way to eradicate the virus completely. We cannot
dispute that the Corona virus vaccines are not yet completely successful and authorized for
commercial use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); however, due to the public health
emergency, the FDA granted an Emergency Use Authorization for certain vaccines. Some Filipinos'
mistrust of government and health organizations is one of the causes. Trust is a crucial component in
gaining support for the new vaccine. Misinformation in the media can lead to public distrust of the
government, politicians, health officials, and pharmaceutical companies, as well as raise public
concerns about disease transmission, prevention, lethality, and vaccine protection. Many members
of the public, including HCWs, have been exposed to conspiracy theories (particularly on social
media), such as allegations that the government purposefully developed the novel coronavirus or
that health organizations exaggerated COVID-19's lethality for pharmaceutical and political benefit.
Such misinformation casts doubt on authorities' credibility and jeopardizes attempts to boost COVID-
19 vaccination rates. Early in the pandemic, higher levels of misinformation about the SARS-CoV-2
virus were linked to both social media exposure and conservative media exposure. Countering
misinformation can be as simple as posting truthful information from reliable sources on social
media.
Delays in COVID-19 vaccination among HCWs and the general population often prevent herd
immunity, resulting in a rise in COVID-19-related illness and deaths, straining already overburdened
health-care services. COVID-19 infections and deaths can be reduced only if the COVID-19 vaccine
is widely used. The use of reliable messages sent by trusted individuals, as well as targeted
messaging to HCWs, will help to improve uptake. To improve awareness of the scientific evidence
supporting public health officials' acceptance of widespread COVID-19 vaccination, new methods of
communicating knowledge should be explored and implemented.
Finally, there is a distinction to be made between health and economics. Millions of Filipinos
have been affected by the pandemic, especially those from lower-income families, with countless
people dying, suffering, and struggling financially, mentally, psychologically, and emotionally, and we
can't deny that our economy is slowly deteriorating. Health protocols and lockdowns are being
introduced, and while they are beneficial if they buy time to improve health services and test-trace-
treat systems, we are wasting the time that lockdown gives us. If we are unable to progress to more
effective containment methods, Filipinos could be trapped with an on-again, off-again lockout, which
is causing significant economic damage. Weak and sluggish test-trace-treat outcomes, as well as a
pause in vaccination rollout, are likely to delay our economy's recovery, putting millions of Filipinos
back into poverty. To prevent a health-economic divide, the government must safeguard lives and
economies so that goods and services can continue after the pandemic and people will be able to
find work once it has passed. However, this must be done carefully and respectfully, with public
health and human rights concerns foremost in mind.
 For my own conclusion, I believe that everyone's immediate future is unclear. The Corona
virus is an invisible adversary that we all share in certain respects. So, in order to overcome and
survive this pandemic, we, as Filipinos, must have solidarity, compassion, encouragement, and
cooperation. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic reminds us that we are spiritual beings at our
core, whether we realize it or not, and that the coronavirus problem is right in front of our eyes; it's a
challenge that requires global cooperation and unity, a component of compassion to alleviate
suffering, and a greater responsibility to exercise our faith in order to witness divine intervention.
While the COVID-19 crisis has brought the world to a halt, and the health and economic
consequences would be catastrophic, I believe that from a spiritual perspective, the benefits would
outweigh the drawbacks, bringing us together, together as a global community of spiritual
connectivity. COVID-19 is, in certain ways, a fight for our hearts, a "spiritual battle for the twenty-first
century." I believe we will prevail in this war.