VARYING LENSES

Even after a year, the Philippine Education System is still in its state of adjustment. Public
school students and their families especially, are having a hard time coping with the blows of
COVID-19. With this, the DepEd’s response for education continuity is centered to both
synchronous and asynchronous learning modalities, with Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) and virtual
class meetings. These strategies were of course received with praise and criticism.
To begin, although SLMs are free of charge, load or data allowance for online classes does
not come cheaply. The minimum amount required to register into an internet access promo would be
50 pesos good for 3 days, depending on length and frequency of use. However, for students with no
gadgets, there are additional costs for a smartphone worth a thousand or more even if we assume it’s
second-hand. Again, for families with more than one child going to school, the cost may double or
triple. With these expenses, the family may only be able to allot little for food, medicine, and other
basic needs. Thus, signaling possible compromise to health.
For the students, whose school needs may not be fully addressed by the parents, they may be
deprived of the best possible education at this time. They may feel left-out and may even self-pity.
Worse, they may hate their parents. Similarly, parents, particularly those who recently lost their jobs
may blame themselves and question their child-rearing capabilities. In both cases, emotional torment
surfaces . This can fuel self-harm, and is particularly very alarming with the rise of academic-related
suicide. On the bright side, the difficulty of the situation gives rise to more dedicated students,
generous donors and motivated family breadwinners. Parents now start to take on double jobs and
students become more serious with their academics. They begin to be more resourceful and creative
in terms of finding ways to still catch-up or learn with minimal expenditures. Ordinary citizens also
are becoming significantly concerned with the current situation. With pure intentions to help, they
devote their time in raising donation drives both monetary or in kind— to provide school supplies or
useable gadgets in support of every Filipino youth’s dream for education.
Whereas when we take into account parental supervision or monitoring of progress in SLM’s
or virtual meetings, related issues would be literacy and orientation to technology. The illiterate
parent may feel small and insecure to teach or help in accomplishing modules. Senior citizens or
older parents may feel left out by the digital natives. They would even find it harder to operate
smartphones or tablets as compared to the young adult. In such cases, learning and teaching becomes
a challenge. Indeed, How can a child learn concepts on its own? How would a parent teach
something s/he does not know? The magnitude of this condition however, becomes lighter and
bearable with passionate teachers who reach out to the students and their families. Today, numerous
educators are seen in action with their stories shared online and across social media platforms.
Among others are teachers checking students in far-flung areas, providing one-to-one discussions
whenever possible, personally delivering modules, and physically communicating with parents. But
really, these are only small fractions of the tremendous effort exerted by educators in this time of
crisis. In reality, one cannot even begin to imagine what it is like to be one.
With this said, we now see that viewing the pandemic as a problem is one thing. Viewing it
as an opportunity for self-development and collaboration is another. It all depends on the lens we are
looking at. But regardless of this, the vision and direction of advancing Philippine education must
continue. Success and progress in this feat may remain ambiguous in the time being. Yet one thing is
for sure, the combined fruits of labor become sweetest for the youth, whose future hugely depends on
the hands of many; in one way or another.