EDITORIAL | No student left behind
by ZULEMA
As the pandemic continues to penetrate through walls of defense and threaten the lives of the nation’s unsung heroes, there is also a call to arms to defend against the state’s neglect for its people, especially society’s most vulnerable.
Back in March, after the President called for a bid to contain the virus, the whole island of Luzon was placed on lockdown. The Commission on Higher Education advised schools to make up for lost classes online, which later caused an uproar in the studentry. With the waves of this virus nowhere near its ebb, schools are now eyeing virtual learning as a way to carry on with the curriculum for the incoming school year.
Online learning is indeed a paradigm that sparks enthusiasm for something new and it serves as a reminder that a modern education system underpins this world. If some students have access to the internet, a working laptop, and for most, are ensconced in a safe and well-provided home, surely there would be those living with limits and are forced to brace for impact if online classes will be imposed.
Aside from the lack of resources, not all students have adapted to e-learning. The same goes for teachers who have not received the proper training required to conduct such classes. Further on, they would be burdened to look for ways to attend to these requisites whilst having to grapple between prioritizing their health and their family. These are also manifestations of the divide among social classes when quality education should be offered to all. However, the state’s neglect pushes the disadvantaged counterparts of society to a pitfall, when the government should have alleviated or sealed the gap before proposing such a scheme for the school year.
The mass besieged the Department of Education for its statement concerning the opening of classes. With that, it is only right that DepEd conducted a survey to better inform its policies regarding the above-mentioned. In addition, more attention must be paid to how they can refrain from aggravating the financial, psychological, and emotional burden of students over obsessing on the subject of “education must continue!”
Let this serve as a reminder to the people that quality education must not be compromised in these times, all the more that no student should be left behind. They, as well as teachers, can only go so far to work their way around the demands of an incompetent state.
