Beneath the Paradigm Shift in Education

The new normal has greatly changed the educational fields of basic and higher education. Since March 2020, there has been an unprecedented large-sca le school closure. Many universities across the country have called for quality education while the dropout rates increased at a rapid pace. Yet, in the midst of so many deep crises that are emerging today, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) are working together to respond flexibly on how to get rid of the pandemic through fairer education. However, the said actions built for addressing inequity amongst students also have a downfall in the learners’ perspective. There is no doubt that the response to the abrupt change has exposed weaknesses in the system, creating a huge gap among the teachers, parents, and students.

The transition from physical to online learning, coupled with the paradox of vague speed internet connection, is putting too much pressure on the ability of families with unsatisfactory incomes to bear the additional cost of this new method of learning. Continuous daily consumption of data via video conferencing is becoming increasingly costly for students who depend on free tuition, especially those studying at state universities, relying solely on their scholarships. With livelihoods affected by the pandemic, parents and students faced gargantuan difficulties especially in preparing the academic necessities for such change given that restricted access to the said needs has always been a problem for most students at all levels. Needless to say, students were constantly trapped behind the computer screen and had no face-to-face interaction with their teacher. That being said, online learning remains difficult as students of different age groups struggle with mental health. This is the reality of life at the moment.

Today’s prominent aphorism “no students left behind” seems to be vague as it is more of an idea rather than a vision of what we used to call reality. In a report released by the children’s rights organization Save the Children, “At least 10 million children in the world cannot go to school because they do not have the technology required for distance learning and support at home.” Meanwhile, according to the DepEd, “the number of students from kindergarten to high school dropped by more than 25% compared with the previous year.” Despite the effort poured by some government agencies, flattening the curve of these massive dropouts still persists as a difficult problem to solve.

Addressing the paradigm shift is no easy task as officials should take into account the underlying principles as to how the pandemic affected the learners and teachers. In these times, the way forward is to analyze the palpable gaps and propose practical solutions. Though support from the locals, private sectors, donors, and sponsors are extended in some places. However, this is not enough to overcome the delays caused by the pandemic. Embracing the change means mitigating the negative effect of COVID-19. Now more than ever, we need a transparent vision and a structured scheme for a concrete course of action. One should learn from the policy pitfalls and open opportunities to all regardless of their status in society. Henceforth, the learning continuity plan should be specific, relevant, and timely.

by Brian Jay V. Vallejo