COVID 19 Changes the Education
Yes, COVID 19 currently changes the education worldwide. Schools are now making unusual efforts to handle with the current situation. All were caught by surprise to cope with a sudden prolonged shutdown of face-to-face courses. Most of them response by using the internet, by using radio, websites and television , by printing materials out and sending emails to parents for the learners to work on. So schools and teachers are coping as best they can. This is something that needs to change for the future.
I believe that we are all seeing a lot of applications, digital alternatives for teaching. Yet, all these substitutes are still not the best as compared to what we see and experience when our learners go to school, no matter the level of schooling. So, I am not yet convince that education will go abruptly completely digital or entirely to distance learning— or that we will determine that online education is much better than face to face education. But I believe that schools will need to be better prepared to face situations like these, and that all levels of education, and above all higher education and adult training will start considering how they can better blend digital education in school oper at i on s.
It’s hard to think of it right now. I am hoping that everything will be the same again that nothing will change a lot, because face-to-face education, social integration, social inclusion between learners and young people are very significant for civilization.
But I have the optimism that some of the changes will benefit from distance learnings. Parents will be more involved in their children’s education process, and DepEd has a much clearer understanding of the gaps and challenges (in connectivity, hardware, integration of digital tools in the curriculum, teacher’s readiness) that exist in using technology effectively and act upon that. The good news is that many of the improvements, initiatives, and investments that school systems will have to make might have a positive long-lasting effect. All of these can strengthen the future of education system in our country. Also, it would be important to make sure that we, educators are prepared and well-trained in the use of digital platforms and can be prepared to blend distance learnings.
*****
The author is SST II at San Juan High School, Mexico.