The challenge of education in the new normal

education is key for generations of Filipinos to become full-fledged, productive members of society. This is why we should be looking at how the nation will go back to school this coming August.

We are beset by challenges as we come closer to that date. As of the recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, 10 million learners—or 36 percent of potential enrollees— have signed up for the school year 2020-2021.

To address quarantine issues, the Department of Education (Deped) will implement online learning resources such as the Deped Commons website, which already has 8 million users. Concurrent with this, TV and radio-based solutions will also be launched in areas with limited access to the Internet, through the implementation of RA 8375, which allots 15 percent of the total daily air time in a broadcast network to childfriendly content. Teachers will also be trained to use these new avenues for education starting in July.

However, while we are preparing for a massive shift in education, a big question to ask is if we actually should continue with the school opening this August. When I was interviewed on this subject matter recently, I communicated that perhaps, it would be better to push back the opening of classes to November, or even as far as January, if need be.

And it all comes down to two major concerns: Internet connectivity, and the issue of the curriculum and educational materials that have to be adapted for use with a blended learning environment. Access to educational materials through the Internet isn’t worth much if the Internet itself is inaccessible due to lack of service or network infrastructure. Be it through provisions for budget, equipment, and commercial access to the Internet, much has to be done to improve digital connectivity throughout the country. It would also be important to fast track the implementation of RA 10929, the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act, which mandates that public basic education institutions, state universities and colleges (SUCS), and Tesda technology institutions to have free Wi-fi access.

As for the case of improving how blended learning can be unpacked for our children, we have to call on and support an integral resource for the family: the parents. Indeed, parents—and guardians—must be empowered to help the learning process of the students.

Fortunately, the Unicef has some helpful tips on how parents can help their children learn. The first is that parents can be the ones to set a routine that integrates time for studies and education through online and media sources, while balancing it with other social and play activities that a child also needs. Next, parents should keep open lines of communication, particularly if children are linking what they are learning to what is happening right now in our world. Parents can help their children process what they are learning. Parents can also be the ones to train their children to get into the swing of longer and longer educational sessions, and at the same time, they can monitor their children’s online activity, and what resources they are accessing. Finally, parents and teachers should communicate with one another—just as the teacher is now the one who creates the learning modules that students will use on a local level, so it is that parents should also be aware of how to maximize learning from these educational packages.

All these issues should be carefully and properly built into the educational system for the new normal. And while I applaud the determination and dedication of our education sector, if it cannot be done by August, then the opening of school should be postponed until such time as all these changes can be implemented. After all, we will be dealing with the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic for some time. And just as the adage goes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so it is that more time for preparation can prevent larger educational issues from happening in the future.

Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 15 years—nine years as representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and six as senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He recently won another term in the Senate.

E-mail: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com |facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @sonnyangara.