Verging to Wiser Decision

Aries R. Mesina

It was in the latter part of December 2019 when rumors of contagious disease are gradually causing an outbreak from neighboring countries. Early on the next year, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), popularly known as COVID-19, began to top the daily press for the unceasing confirmed cases of deaths while fatal virus transmission is getting out of control causing a worldwide state of a pandemic. Under the unsecured condition, authorities implemented rigid restrictions placing people under the new normal way of living as the initial action to suppress the said infection.

The increasing confirmed COVID cases created a depressive motion for people to panic since there is no known vaccine to cure the infected patient. Even in the field of education where the continuous process of formal learning setup was put at risk. Learning agencies opt to reconstruct several strategies in the system of education to formulate approaches suitable to the concurrent condition of the learners. Educators have to make a swift decision on how to provide solutions to the arising need without putting the learners in vulnerable condition though, facing danger and uncertainty, the idea is to select the most appropriate and effective mode of learning prior to the preference of the learners.

Online learning is a type of distance learning wherein students learn via virtual discussion presented by the teacher using laptops or gadgets with internet connectivity. It is the fastest and modern way to reach students at their convenient place without requiring physical or face to face appearance. However, not all learners can afford to cover the monthly fees of internet connection while others are residing from far-flung areas where cables are not available.

Printed Modular learning is another approach where students learn using printed modules provided by the department and distributed by the teachers. The parents as stakeholders are responsible for the retrieval and distribution of modules while their children learn at home within the given time frame.

Although the resources of several education agencies are limited, each should make a quick decision whether to postpone or continue the delivery of education.

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The author is Teacher III at San Isidro Elementary School