What’s the Plan? A Covid Developing Story

The pandemic poses threats to the system of education worldwide. MSU is not an exception. Director Junaina Dimalna and the faculty, By virtue of the Presidential Proclamation No. garnered enough funds to accommodate the 992, the Mindanao State University suspended primary needs of all twelve students in its classes since March 12 in order to prevent different cottages and dorms of the university. possible transmission of the CoViD-19 among its Providing them with food supplies such as rice, constituents. However, following the suspension sardines, noodles and coffee, Director Dimalna are more challenging issues that the university, and the Student Government hoped to improve especially the MSU-MSHShad to face. the status of these students. Later, the MSU College Supreme Consequence of the Suspension Student Council collaborated with the senior There were 12 identified stranded high SSG on addressing the needs of the MSU-MSHS students in the MSU campus as of stranded senior high school students. March 23. With the announced community Communications with the students were kept quarantine against the ongoing pandemic, strict constant until the university successfully security protocols were immediately executed provided for these students transportation to in the university and in municipalities causing their hometowns. On May 1, the stranded the difficulty to go in and out of the campus. students, accommodated by the university Security checkpoints were assigned all over the buses,finally got home safely to their families. city requiring travel passes from commuters “Thank you so much for helping us to that are noted by the City Health Office and be with our family…Salamat po to our beloved respective barangay chairmen. By this reason, MSU President and to everyone who made this many students from the university were not possible,” Ms. Jennica Potestas, one of the able to go home, especially that a lot of students stranded senior high students at that time, told anticipated online classes to compensate for the to the university officials as she got reunited said suspension; only to findout that three days with her family in Davao after 1 month and 19 after the declared extended suspension of days of being stranded. classes to April 14, there was a sudden revocation of all alternative learning system Terminating 2nd Sem of AY 2019-2020 activities such as online classes in the With the suspension of classes as well university. The revocation of ALS was because of as Alternative Learning Systems to most the raised digital divide thriving in the city and programs, the university announced the the province of LDS where most students of the conclusion of 2nd semester for the AY 2019university reside. The stagnant period in 2020 on April 20. The MSU Office of education called the MSU’s Board composed of Information, Press and Publication posted on administrative offices for urgent meeting upon their Facebook page the guidelines for the taking the next step for the terminated termination of the semester as a consequence semester. of the extension of the Enhanced Community Quarantine. Prior to this, students already MSU-MSHS SSG to the Rescue speculated the possibility of mass promotion. Students inside the campus were General Guidelines for mass promotion were alarmed by the current situation and so made released stating that students who complied arrangements with relatives and acquaintances with the requirements from January to March for the meantime that the community shall automatically be given the grade “P” for quarantine is still in effective. Although, there is Passed. There were, however, programs that still a population of students without guardiansrequired strict compliance to additional or enough financial aid in order to sustain them requirements and online classes, which were until the end of effectivity. As such, the MSU-allowed by the university given that student MSHS Supreme Student Government made an safety shouldnot becompromised. initiative to comply with the Memorandum on No Graduation. As a consequence of “Monitoring of Travel History of All Students” the mass promotion for health security, public from the MSU System Office of the President and gatherings, may it be academic or nonacademic, identified the stranded Senior High School are not allowed. As such, there will be no students in the campus through the SSG’s MSU-graduation ceremony for the graduating batch MSHS Student Tracer Google form. of this semester until the situation suggests From the 437 MSU-MSHS respondents otherwise. Different collegesmade the initiative on the Google form, there were 12 identified and of at least doing a social distancing pictorial of verified stranded students in need of immediate the graduates. On the other hand, the senior attention and support. While waiting for the high school students could only go as far as a university’s response, the MSU-MSHS SSG letter of intent from the student body for a already gathered information and resources in pictorial. order to best address the needs of these students. Having food supplies as the top Welcoming a New (Normal) Academic Year necessity in the statistics, the SSG, together with As results for qualified students to the university were posted online and preregistration was conducted both online and faceto-face, the enrolment process is going smoothly as planned by the college departments. Or so we thought.

The DepEd announced that there is still no finished proposal from the department to present to the IATF regarding the “new normal” for the following school year; hence, it explains the stagnant situation of most educational institutions in the country. As of now, most universities in the Philippines have conducted closure whilst encouraging online operation for its Masters education at the very least. However, due to technological and equity gaps, the absoluteness on the scope of the matter remains questionable for most of these universities. As such, some universities resorted to total closure of programs because of these gaps supported by arguments of demographic inequality. Unequal access to educational resources wasthe highlight for which they have ceased operations. Yet, the suspension resulted to further consequences affecting student learning outcomes, accessibility to mitigation strategies, nutrition and food security (mostly to disadvantaged families and stranded students), and scholarship opportunities, which contribute to major fund on literacy percentage of the country. Distance learning,mobilized by alternative modes such as online classes, app-based curriculum, etc., stays the best option at this time. The MSU colleges are said to still be structuring the “new normal” approach on classes at their departments. Blended classes, composed of online and modularclasses,is what is being expected by the students for they could agree that internet connection in Marawi City, mainly in the provinces of Lanao Del Sur, is not as reliable as the connection of the neighboring cities. The digitaldivide being experienced by the community continues to hinder progress in learning. By this reason, some departments, chiefly quota courses,decided to further limit the slots in their respective areas and remake the admission process, specifically the standing criteria for freshmen,now that it is hard for them to conduct a college admission test. Many students appealed for their entry to these colleges. Requesting for reconsideration, the colleges are still on the process of finalizing the plans for the “new normal” before appeals are attendedto. August, the former “normal” opening of classes, is gettingnear, yetthe universityat largedid not announce any layout plans for the “new normal” up until now. When is the official opening of classes? How can we conduct our classes while observing social distancing? Students also wait for the post-COVID development plans from the authority. Writing the next steps is as hard as getting various clearances for execution. While we ask what’s the plan, we could just hope the system is doing better.