With the government having seemingly placed educational institutions last in the Philippines’ response and recovery from the pandemic—prioritizing leisure and dining establishments for the sake of keeping the economy afloat—students from all over the country have called for #AcademicFreeze throughout before finally standing firm on #LigtasBalikEskwela, a call for blended online and face-to-face learning to be set up without sacrificing the quality of both education and health of each student.
When the pandemic first hit and all educational institutions were forced to switch to a fully-online learning scheme in early 2020, the call of the masses was to implement a nationwide #AcademicFreeze, following numerous reports of students’ mental health declining due to online classes, as well as the lack of access to online learning equipment and materials.
In a report by The Washington Post's Assistant Editor Sammy Westfall, the Philippines is dead last in the world for allowing face-to-face (F2F) setups. Among the last five to reopen schools as well are Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Bangladesh, and Kuwait.
What is Oplan Ligta Balik Eskwela (OBE)?
According to the Department of Education (DepEd), OBE 2021 is the program set to safely allow students from Kindergarten to Senior High School back in a limited face-to-face setup mid and post-pandemic that began in Sept. 13, 2021. The call for #LigtasBalikEskwela also extends to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), but with a different set of guidelines per Higher Educational Institution (HEI) to undergo approval.
UNICEF says that the following requirements must be met to secure the safety of students going back to F2F classes; also putting emphasis that vaccination should not be a prerequisite for both students and teachers to honor each child’s right to education. Instead, the necessary protective equipment is to be mandated in accordance with national and local guidelines alongside enhanced hygiene measures.
UNICEF had even backed the need for in-person classes, stating that distance learning is not a replacement for it as not all parents are able to access time, resources, and background to assist their children’s learning.
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that only 9% of the total reported COVID-19 cases in the Philippines were children and adolescents. This data was enough for both entities to declare that educational institutions are unlikely to be superspreader locations.
What do students think?
Following CHED’s announcement allowing all course programs to conduct limited F2F classes, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde released a college-wide survey about reopening campuses for F2F classes last November 2021.
Out of the 9,122 students currently enrolled, 4,105 (45%) have participated. The survey showed that 3,500 (87.6%) students are fully vaccinated, with 380 (9.3%) students having received their first dose already. Meanwhile, the remaining 225 (5.5%) have yet to be vaccinated because their respective Local Government Units (LGUs) have not contacted them yet.
In an interview with The Benildean, Vice President for Lasallian Mission and Student Life (VPLMSL) Maria Veronica Templo-Perez stated that the survey numbers are good considering that a 30% response rate is “already lucky.”
The survey results also included the concerns of students for participating in limited F2F classes, such as means of safe transportation. “Ngayon, 2,166 [students] will be taking public transportation, 1,664 said that Benilde could offer chartered service, [and] 499 said they will carpool,” Ms. Templo-Perez said.
In addition, blended learning will still be given as an option, especially for students who are outside of the National Capital Region and abroad.
Ensuring quality in all types of learning setups
Depending on the active COVID-19 cases, educational institutions would have to revert back to fully online learning until it’s safe again. The Benildean also spoke to Vice Chancellor for Academics (VCA) Angelo Lacson and Chancellor Benhur Ong on how a fully-online learning setup could affect the professional excellence of students once they enter their respective industries.
When asked if there is a gap between students who participate in fully-online setups versus those who learn from face-to-face setups, Mr. Lacson emphasized, “[While] many studies point towards having that gap, [similar to what we did] in Benilde Online Learning Term (BOLT), we will not sacrifice academic rigor as we reimagine the online modality.”
Mr. Ong adds there is a sad reality that some schools may not be able to produce professional excellence in their students through online modalities due to a lack of resources. He also emphasizes what makes or breaks a student’s education is the need for a genuine commitment to help them learn. “Teaching it online is already hard, but the motivation of the student to learn now comes into play. [...] Self-directed learning is also the key.”
“You guys now know how to operate fully online. Wala nang babalik sa old ways in the new normal. [Now], you will be taught how to market in the next normal, they have to learn it the hard way. You learned how to learn during a pandemic. These are the things we expect from students,” Mr. Ong said.
Both Mr. Ong and Mr. Lacson said that while there could certainly be a gap between those who learned online and those who learned from an F2F setup, the demands in each industry have also shifted during the pandemic.
“You guys have another learned competency na wala doon sa mga dati. You, the students of today, are the most capable of adapting and reimagining their respective industries,” Mr. Ong stated.
Is #LigtasBalikEskwela the better option?
There is no doubt that full online learning is not for everyone and face-to-face classes are still preferred. However, given the right safety and learning protocols, especially once the shift to blended learning becomes the norm, returning to school safely is certainly a priority that the academic institutions have to face eventually.
Students from all over the country have expressed the need and want to return to learn in a physical classroom setup. If the rest of the world has reopened its academic institutions already, then why shouldn’t the Philippines?
Above economic standings, quality education should have been a priority since the start of the pandemic recovery after all.
