Aside from the economic and business standpoint, the Philippines has been facing a slump ever since the pandemic was announced in March 2020 by the World Health Organization. Policymakers and other government agencies are endlessly put under pressure to make immediate decisions—from lockdowns, travel bans, and protocols to the work-from-home setup, and online classes. The online mode of learning as a resort to continuing education caused a ruckus. This is especially because the country does not have the best internet connectivity to hold one and the fact that many Filipino students do not have the much-needed resources to begin with. Even after a series of academic break campaigns from different universities, students were forced to endure the tedious process of remote learning for almost two years now.
After two years, students are finally going to be back on track as different universities eye the first quarter of 2022 for the resumption of face-to-face classes. But the question goes: are we face-to-face-class ready? The country has long been considering the resumption of face-to-face classes. This proposal started way back in 2020 and is finally being considered and implemented this month. Malacañang announced President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval on the pilot test run of limited face-to-face classes last September. The pilot test started on November 15 with 100 public schools from declared low-risk areas participating. Private schools are expected to have in-person classes in the following week. This is all while the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Education (DepEd) are closely coordinating with each other to have additional schools participate in this implementation.
This certainly transpired a new hope for learners. However, considering the amount of time that they have been stagnant and familiar with the online class setup, schools and other working agencies also need to assess the mental state of students. After cases of burnout and the constant push for academic breaks, it is safe to say that students want a breather from all these. The House recently approved the State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) Mental Health Service Act. This act will cater to the basic rights of Filipinos—specifically students and teachers in this case—to have access to counseling and therapy. Students rallied and fought for academic breaks for several reasons, but mainly due to mental wellness, only to see policymakers discovering the need for mental health assistance just recently. There is definitely a delay in the response to this issue and perhaps this is also particularly the reason why the Philippines is recognized as the last country to hold face-to-face classes. All of these aside, the mental state of students must be prioritized regardless of education setup. Maybe, they should also reckon that face-to-face classes would not be an easy fix for this problem. The stress is not exclusive to students only but to teachers and school personnel as well. The leap from online classes to face-to-face classes will raise a challenge for the schools. Students and parents need assurance. After the sudden adjustments made for online classes, it is not ideal to confront anything drastic again such as transitioning from a remote learning set-up to an in-person class.
The vaccination rollout in the Philippines came considerably later as compared to other countries. This greatly explains why the country is also lagging behind the reopening of classes. To date, the Philippines recorded a total of 2.81 million COVID-19 cases with over 30 million successfully vaccinated Filipinos. However, the new COVID variants pose an additional threat as 630 more confirmed cases of the Delta variant were reported by health authorities last Monday. Cases of Alpha and Beta variants in the country were also confirmed. Even a country like the US, which enforces a strong vaccination program, faces a surge of the Delta variant among children. A similar increase is also evident in South Korea which plans to fully reopen schools nationwide by November 22. All of these considered boils down to questioning the preparedness of students, teachers, and the schools in the resumption of in-person classes.
It is perhaps too early to say, but the Philippines has a long way to go. The vaccination program still needs to be strengthened and widely administered. Educational institutions and agencies must collaborate closely to devise policies and protocols recognized nationwide. There should be consistency in the implementation and immediate actions. The delay in COVID-19 response has already caused too much damage to the country and that includes education. Educational agencies are given this opportunity to make progress from the quality and system of learning that we have today. This opens a new beginning—redemption from the continuous slump that teachers and students have been facing for nearly two years.
Recently, the Ateneo de Zamboanga University conducted a vaccination survey among students, teachers, and faculty. This is in accordance with the Regional Memorandum 130 Series of 2021 of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as more schools and universities plan to open limited face-to-face classes in January or early March of 2022.
Cybrealle Cruz is a BS Psychology student and communications manager of The BEACON.
