UNFAZED-to-FACE

EDITORIAL

UNFAZED-to-FACE

It is a no-brainer to know that since the extreme surge of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus 2019) pandemic, it has turned the tables on everything in the blink of an eye—including the academic setup of the students. To date, most of the countries have already reopened for faceto-face classes, which unfortunately excludes the Philippines from the list. That being said, it is a call for the DepEd (Department of Education) and CHED (Commission on Higher Education) to pick things up off the floor and apt for a resurgence in conducting physical classes once again, something that will definitely benefit the students in light of their academic learning.

Vaccines are currently allocated for teenagers and adults, so it is safe to assume that any high school or college students could acquire one at any vaccination center; not solely them, but as well as the teaching and non-teaching personnel from each respective school or university. CHED also raised the notion that only fully vaccinated students could enter the limited face-to-face classes. On the other hand, the unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and students who cannot simply participate in the physical classes will have to resort to flexible learning methods such as online and offline modes. To figure, DepEd could also follow the same protocol, which is a sensible move, to begin with.

The return of face-to-face classes to the academic institution may also re-elevate the students’ quality of learning and learning experience. On the other hand, students are removed from unnecessary distractions within their houses and from conducting their everyday household chores, which are major stressors for students having both responsibilities on one plate. Explicitly saying, they may effectively resort to focusing solely on academics.

The urge of the said matter is also a major relief for underprivileged students who cannot afford electronic devices such as laptops and cellular phones that are deeply necessitated for online classes. Every month, students have to sustain and pay for the WiFi or cellular data to access websites and applications that require such, and there might even be times for some users where the cellular data expires coincidingly amid the conduct of an examination or video call.

In the present status quo, though the institutions are firmly eyeing the resurgence of face-to-face classes, the fact cannot be denied that COVID-19 cases are also resurging in unknown moments, and it is inherently alarming for the safety of every student. One more, a new type of variant has emerged, namely “Omicron,” which is deemed to spread faster and could cause more affliction, unlike the other variants.

However, areas strictly under alert level 3 are only permitted for resumption, and, to reiterate, fully vaccinated students and school personnel are solely validated to enter school institutions. Safety precautions are also kept in mind, such as only permitting 30% indoor capacity and 50% outdoor capacity; the usage of facemasks and social distancing is also basically considered.

At this point, may we perceive the fact that despite the pandemic, the quality education of the students must still be a topmost priority considering the fact that flexible learning is deemed to be a hard setup to abide by. At the end of the day, it is a win-win situation weighing both the safety amendments and the accuracy for the students to learn.

At the end of the day, it is a win-win situation weighing both the safety amendments and the accuracy for the students to learn.

art by Richelle de Arce & Francis Calonia

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The Official Publication of Mindanao State University - General Santos Senior High School September 2021 - February 2022 | Vol. 2 No. 1 | @/HimigIskoMSU

Truth in Service, Service in Truth