Braving the Pandemic to Ensure Continuity of Learning

Rendon Bromahon Coloma

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. As the nation is still under state of calamity due to COVID-19, the current educational system can never be an exemption along with other sectors in the adverse effect of the pandemic. However, Secretary Leonor Magtolis - Briones, in her official statement, ensures that the Department of Education (DepEd) is committed to its duty to make education available and thriving, even in these trying times.

Aligned to the Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) of their respective Schools Divisions, each school crafted its contextualized LCP which aims to address the challenges of the coming school year 2020-2021 that they may possibly encounter.

To safeguard students continuous learning and guarantee the safety of the school’s personnel while in-person classed are still postponed, the School’s Learning Continuity Plan is collaboratively drafted giving full consideration to the local public health situation and access of the school to viable learning platforms. Moreover, the LCP is framed to ensure that all programs and projects to be implemented by the school will support high quality student learning especially in the acquisition of the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) without compromising the health security of the learners and teachers.

Amid all doubts and uncertainties of many on the capacity or preparedness of the Department of Education (DepEd) to make continuous learning happen during this global health crisis, public schools strongly stand on their ground and will exhaust all possible means just to assure the parents and stakeholders that quality, relevant and accessible education will continue to be provided to the learners.

To successfully achieve their common goal, public schools shall commit themselves to: a) assess readiness of the school b) ensure learners’ preparedness to acquire the skills necessary for success in the next grade c) utilize ICT Systems and other available media d) dutiful implementation and monitoring of LCP and among others.

Challenges in the implementation of the LCP that may encounter by schools both in private and public schools are inevitable especially in the adaption of new learning delivery modalities. Before the opening of the classes this year, some pressing problems were already identified such as lack of school’s internet connection, local power interruptions which may affect the effective learning of the child, lack of assurance of quality learning due to minimal guidance and supervision of teachers to learners who are on homeschooling and distance learning modalities, weakest learners will lose their needed face-to-face support from their teachers, etc.

Come October 05, 2020, the opening of the classes, will once again prove the resilience of the Filipino educators and learners in braving whatever challenges they will face amidst a public health crisis.

The author is Head Teacher

--oOo-

III at Angeles City National Trade School.