Almost two years ago, the appalling threat of the COVID 19 Pandemic forced schools to shut
down. The unfortunate event has affected more than 1.2 billion learners worldwide with more
than 28 million learners in the Philippines (UNESCO, 2020). Responses, such as community
lockdown and community quarantine, have pushed students and teachers to study and work from
home, leading to the delivery of online learning platforms. However, the emergence of online
learning brought a number of risks, issues, and concerns for both teachers and students.
As a result of these circumstances, educational leaders have opted to implement the new
normal in education. At present, the Department of Education (DepEd) implements the Learning
Continuity Plan (LCP) in basic education. While the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
granted academic independence to HEIs in the higher education sector, permitting them to use
accessible distance learning, e-learning, and other alternative modes of delivery to students. It is
the new normal in education, and improving educational planning and health is a priority in order
to give every student a high-quality, inclusive, and accessible education.
Despite the impressive plans and initiatives of the authorities and education sector, issues,
trends, and challenges in the implementation of these plans seemed to be inevitable. Here are the
issues that have been recently reported in the department:
a. Refusal of some parents to enroll their children in school due to the threat of
COVID 19 pandemic. Indeed, changing parents’ perception towards schooling to
embrace the new normal situation is challenging. Uaminal (2020) said, in the Philippines,
around three million learners have either not enrolled in primary school at all, or have not
returned to it in the 2020-2021 academic year. For context, this number is almost equal to
the entire population of Quezon City (2.94 million), a highly urbanized city in Metro
Manila. Hence to address this, a school leader should have an intensified advocacy
campaign on different learning modalities to be offered by the school such as online
learning, TV/Radio Based Instruction, Modular and Blended Learning.
b. Preparation on the Delivery of Instruction re: Shifting from Traditional Face to
Face Learning to Remote Learning. Challenges such as unavailability of the needed
learning materials in different learning modalities and equipping teachers’ competence in
utilizing different online modalities were seen. To control and/or solve this, there is a
must to review and realign the school funds for the reproduction of the needed materials
in order to ensure that learning materials will suffice the needs of both teachers and
students, leading to a successful teaching-learning process. Moreover, the conduct of
webinars and video teleconferences, and capacity building for teachers must be noted.
c. The promotion of a Safe and Healthy School Environment must be ensured. Albeit,
this seems to be a rising concern among the people in education. Several schools in our
locale have reported that there are inadequate handwashing facilities, no signage for
social distancing, and a lack of supplies of hand soap, alcohol, hand sanitizer, or chlorine
solution for daily disinfection and cleaning of the school. It is truly saddening that despite

the campaign to promote a safe and healthy school environment, the adequacy of
disinfecting materials is lacking. In order to address this, it is important to use the
available school fund in procuring the needed materials/supplies. Additionally, it is a
must to prioritize the construction and repair of handwashing facilities to avoid the spread
of the virus among the people in the school.

All in all, the following are the recommendations that can be done in order to control and/or
address the following trends, issues, and concerns in the education system as mentioned above:
(1) there is a need to present the Learning Continuity Plan to the stakeholders to promote
awareness, understanding and solicit support in all activities of the school relevant to whatever
changes brought by the new normal education set up; (2) strengthening school community
partnership must be employed to ensure effective delivery of instruction; (3) provide orientation
on the utilization of alternative delivery modalities and corresponding learners’ materials and
mental health and psychological support activities; (4) recalibrate the available school fund
depending on the current needs and priorities in this new normal situation.
Indeed, every stakeholder of education is looking for ways to address these modern
trends and issues. Amidst the surge of catastrophe, continue to grapple with modern issues. The
fight will someday bring triumph over the hurdles of the new normal.

By: Lyka Eunice O. Magdalera | Teacher I | Bataan National High School