MANILA, Philippines — Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones on Monday encouraged all public and private schools to return to holding in-person classes for the upcoming School Year 2022-23.
Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1604264/fwd-deped-urges-all-schools-to-open-for-faceface-classes-in-next-academic-year#ixzz7WztpRjd9
Disclaimer: This post is for entertainment purposes only. I am just stating my opinion regarding what is happening in the country I live. Take what resonates and leave if you are interested, spread love and not hate.
On May the 30th, the local newspaper Inquirer wrote an article regarding the possibility of conducting face-to-face classes in the Philippines for the school year 2022–2023. As the article stated, around 73 percent of public schools in the Philippines have already resumed face-to-face setup before the end of the 2021–2022 school year. As this probability is considered high, the Department of Education is urging private schools to also conduct face-to-face classes as the new school year is about to begin.
As a previous practitioner of education, before this pandemic occurred, With all honesty, I will tell you that face-to-face classes are still the best mode of learning for students. Do not get me wrong, the innovations in education that have transpired during this pandemic are for the betterment of students and educators, but the reality is that limitations are present. During the trying times of the pandemic, a lot of teachers (especially my friends who are still in the field) struggled in terms of transitioning to an online or remote setup. The inability to convey information has been a struggle, especially for seasoned or tenured educators. Everybody has this air of high expectation that teachers can do anything and it will be a piece of cake, but again, reality hits them back with device concerns, internet problems, grading system confusion, modular setup transition, and a lot more.
It was not easy for students either. The idea of staying home to study might seem like a fun idea at first, but as the school year progressed, It also took a toll on their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Students are faced with the harsh reality of meeting deadlines, meeting unrealistic expectations, and other unworldly demands as education have perceived the notion that they are at home, and not doing anything at all. As this is unfolding, parents and guardians alike encounter their own set of dilemmas. Especially for parents or guardians teaching young children to read and write, patience and perseverance are put to the test.
At this point, the education department should ask the crucial question, "Is everybody ready for the next chapter of education?" It is easy to say that schools need to go back to a face-to-face setup, but they might be forgetting what to do with the existing "New Normal setup". As an educator and spectators, how do they plan to incorporate or dismantle the old-new setup that has been servicing everyone in the pandemic days? As everyone is so eager to go back to "normal", we should ask ourselves what is even considered normal. Given the circumstances that everybody has already warmed up to the current setup, changing it as soon as the pandemic begins to transition to an endemic might be a harsh move.
Then again, who am I to preach? I am just a spectator and not even practicing at the moment. The bottom line is that whether education transitions to face-to-face or not in the next school year, quality and readiness are still the vital components needed to ensure that Philippine education is moving forward. I hope the education department will conduct more research before making an official decision on this matter; they should consider not only the numbers but also the eyes of the people who matter the most, the teachers and students, whose welfare and opinions are more important because they are the ones who will be most affected.
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