The right to education in the Philippines has never been completely realized. According to child rights organization Save the Children, 1.3 million children in the Philippines were considered as out-of-school youth prior to the lockdowns and spread of COVID-19, and that number has thrice multiplied since the onset of the pandemic.
The transition to modular and remote learning only hampered the education of most Filipino students, as evidenced by the roughly 1.1 million basic education students who did not enroll this year. Approximately 46 million Filipinos and 34,500 public schools do not have internet access, and only 23.8 percent of households have communal computers, illustrating the reality for underprivileged families: They were the most unprepared for the abrupt change, and they are about to fall even further behind due to the heightened inaccessibility of education.
In the face of severe financial constraints, families from these backgrounds are forced to abandon their children's education. But even for those who are lucky enough to stay in school, the shift to remote learning placed students in deep mental distress and anxiety.
A Mother’s Woes
Fritzie Sacramento, a mother of two, expressed deep concern for students who are still in their formative years as they enter yet another school year through nothing but computer screens. Despite the uncertainty of the effectiveness of online learning, Fritzie had no choice but to enroll her children to keep them from falling behind.
Her daughter, Thea, is entering high school this year. Fritzie is worried that Thea would have a hard time forming or strengthening relationships with other people due to the remote setup of classes.
“Mas maganda kasi kung lumalabas sila, may kalaro sila face-to-face. Maganda pa rin sana in terms of mental health, emotional health, compared kung nasa bahay,” said Fritzie. One of the most difficult challenges of online learning is the lack of interactions with teachers and peers as it hinders development and demotivates children like Thea.
The ineffective pandemic response of the government stole countless opportunities for children to learn and develop. For Sacramento, along with other parents, there is only one answer: Schools should be reopened in consideration of the mental health of their kids and, more importantly, to close the divide between those who can afford technology and those who cannot.
Left Behind
The current setup of learning has proven to be especially hard for students who are in their early childhood. When handling toddlers, educators make use of the multiple intelligences to modify their teaching techniques according to the strengths of a student. A tactile learner, for example, must be taught by letting them do an activity. Doing this through online learning, however, seems practically impossible.
“We wanted to highlight the strength of a kid, and it’s really different because most of them are not into this kind of set-up,” said early childhood educator Ronalene Soluta-Puno. “Most of these kids, especially at this age, they learn by doing, they learn by playing, and that is the challenge. How can we relate to them even online? Can we play with them when all they see is a computer screen?”
In the first school year under the pandemic, the enrollment of students in the kindergarten level dropped from 2.04 million in 2019 to only 1.8 million in 2020.
The government’s implementation of the remote learning setup did not only marginalize those who cannot afford to buy gadgets and have a conducive environment for learning. The welfare of students who are developmentally challenged are also being sidelined.
Soluta-Puno decided to leave her former school to conduct house-to-house teaching, as the need for teachers like her grew during the pandemic. Students who are developmentally challenged, like those in the autism spectrum or have speech delay, have a hard time coping with remote learning.
“Hindi talaga siya (remote learning) possible and they cannot progress. The parents and students are frustrated because of what we are offering to them na online class, and they’re really frustrated kasi hindi sila pwede sumabay,” said Soluta-Puno.
Save the Children has been urging Congress to pass the Inclusive Education Bill which will provide children with disabilities equal access and opportunities to quality education. The bill is expected to address the lack of disability-friendly facilities in schools, and provide training to teachers on inclusive education.
Reopening Schools
The Philippines will be the last country to reopen schools as President Rodrigo Duterte just recently approved the conduct of face-to-face classes in low-risk areas this month. According to Education Secretary Leonor Briones, around 100 schools will be covered for the pilot implementation of physical classes within two months.
The reopening of schools, however, must be met with adequate budget, proper facilities, and protection and support to teachers and students, said Alliance of Concerned Teachers Rep. France Castro. But ultimately, the administration must ramp up its pandemic response to finally allow all schools to conduct physical classes.
“The longer the Duterte administration keeps schools closed and continues to deny adequate funding to support the blended distance learning that the poorest youth can access without compromising quality education, learning loss among students only continues to worsen,” said Castro. ●
