DepEd oppose the growing call of “Academic Freeze” because of being short-sighted.

According to CNN Philippine Staffs (2020), “DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malanuan

states that the suspension of classes in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis was a ‘short-sighted’
solution.” He added that the call of academic freeze “is a populist position that is not popular,
because we already have the support of as many as 24 million learners and their parents who
have enrolled and are ready to participate in distance learning.” He also added that academic
freeze does not take into consideration the trade-off of prolonged interruption in the learning
process of the children because some public school is being left behind because private schools
already start their online classes. They also stated that DepEd prepared different type of
teaching method before the school year starts.

Recently, anew call of academic freeze is being rejected because the capacity of the
students is affected and that it has a massive impact in them economically (Education
Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio, 2020). Taking into considerations that DepEd adjust
teaching method before the school year starts but an academic freeze is not a position of being
short-sighted because the issues that are being pointed out are being experienced by the
students and parents. Pushing through with this school year is a serious case right now not just
about the mental health and physical health of students and their parents but because of the
quality education and lack of online learning materials. Before the new call of academic freeze
according to Magsambol (2020), there is an issue that needs to be solved that there had been
reports that some teachers didn’t have copies of the modules weeks before the original date of
the school opening. Printing of modules is not just the issue stated but technology access and
internet access also that with the help of social media there are posts that shows how students
climb different parts of their house and even climb mountains just to get a good internet
connection. According to Molde from Philippine News (2020), online selling is one of the
strategies that parents and students do to gain money for online learning which is selling clothes
etc. but that is not the case where student sells malicious photo to keep up with online classes.
Imagine what online classes can do to other people’s life just to keep up with online learning
instead of just seating down reading and reviewing your notes.

Lack of online materials is not just the incase and factors of why students are pushing
academic freeze but the quality of education which is why students’ enrolled in the first place for
education but recently a news article surrounding the social media platforms of modules using
people as an example of ‘obese’ person which is an act of body shaming. According to Abad,
“The Department of Education (DepEd) apologized for yet another controversial module for
distance learning on Friday, November 13. This time, it was a physical education worksheet that
called actress Angel Locsin an "obese person." Parents are working hard for money because
government pushes through with the school year promising them with quality of education for
their children to learn but it’s the opposite. This is why the implementation of academic freeze is
not the position of short-sighted position because of the considerations students and parents
take to push academic freeze.