Key Failures on Education During the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge dramatic impact on our normal life, it has led to a transition and people are being pushed to cope with today’s situation. It was completely unexpected, we were not ready and prepared. It has brought challenges and has affected the economy and education sector, it weakened the education system and put barriers between the students and the normal classroom.

The pandemic has forced both public and private school closures, and as a solution to secure education continuity, the Department of Education (DepEd) has implemented distance-learning. Distance-learning is commonly a style of teaching utilized by colleges and universities, but due to the pandemic, it was also introduced to elementary and high school students as well. It is a remote learning method where teachers and students are physically separated from each other, students don’t need to attend face-to-face classes and can study at their own pace.

One of the most common forms of distance learning is “Modular Learning”, in which students use Self-Learning Modules (SLM) based on the most essential learning competencies (MELCS) provided by DepEd. In the Philippines, this method is currently used by all public schools, while private school holds online classes as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Modular and online learning becomes an alternative to face-to-face teaching and learning, however, there are still problems and issues concerning both methods.

The reproduction cost, the process of distributing and retrieving, and the content of the modules are some of the problems faced by most of the teachers, parents, and students. The use of modules encourages independent study, but we can’t deny that most of the students cannot study independently. As with online learning, not all students and teachers have a stable internet connection and technical problems are common to them. Low bandwidth and weak internet connection affect how students quickly connect and participate in class.

It’s no secret that distance learning causes a lot of challenges for many Filipino. The limited resources, poor internet connection, teacher capacity, and efficiency of the learning environment are the several factors that need to be considered.

Students’ ability to cope with these challenges takes time and guidance from both parents and teachers. Open communication and consideration on both sides can be a great guide and solution to meet the standard for quality education.

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