Filipinos seem renowned for their resilience, which is the capacity to change quickly and favorably following a traumatic experience. Is the Philippine educational system, however, also capable of resilience?
Since our former school design mostly involved face-to-face learning and physical relationships with classmates, teachers, and staff, education is among the industries most affected by the COVID-19. Throughout this trying time, the Philippine education sectors developed the transition to the most easily accessible distance learning resources, namely the use of numerous online platforms like Google Classroom, Zoom, and Edmodo. The definition of the popular term “new normal” in education can be attributed to this shift to online and modular learning. It also includes the transition from teacher-centered to autonomous and self-paced learning and the change from exams to worksheets and activities for assessment purposes.
In the past years, many social media users have called for the academic year to be suspended because most students find this “new normal” difficult in many ways. However, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Education (DepEd) continue to push for the start of classes. “This is a celebration,” DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones stated during the news briefing. This is a eulogy of triumph. A proclamation that education would continue despite current obstacles. Children will continue to learn, parents will continue to encourage us, and education will continue. This will be the greatest win of this pandemic, as our government, teachers, and all of us are involved in the endeavor.
However, as soon as online and offline learning modalities are introduced, students and teachers experience a sudden and widespread emergence of problems related to sluggish and inconsistent internet connectivity, insufficient funds to buy the necessary electronics, and a blurring of the boundaries between personal and professional life. This demonstrates unequivocally how unprepared the educational system have been to withstand a fundamental shift. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the Philippines’ third-world status and ongoing problems with telecom network restrictions are the main causes of the “new normal” learning’s inefficiency there.
Years have passed after the pandemic; the education sector is still on battle cry for better teaching and learning experience. What really is the problem? Are we overstating the resilience of Filipinos? Are we overlaying on the infinite capacity of teachers? Are overcapitalizing on accepting challenges?
Filipinos are renowned for their resilience—their capacity to quickly and constructively adjust following a calamitous incident. However, the educational system is far from resilient and finds it difficult to adapt quickly. More than ever, to provide learners with a high-quality education even at home, proper execution and a sufficient supply of resources must be guaranteed. Furthermore, capacitate the teachers, school heads and education leaders through cultivating a genuine heart, compassion and trust in the power of education.
