Ensuring that education continues

Lordelyn F. Yusi

THE country’s officials are worried that students' knowledge may be delayed and the education crisis in the country will be exacerbated by the cancellation of the conduct of limited face-to-face classes in areas where there are no or few COVID19 cases.

Although limited face-to-face classes can help with the problems of distance learning, its cancellation can be considered a precaution against the new type of COVID-19 that is spreading around the world.

To prevent the imminent escalation of the education crisis, officials are urging the government to take all possible steps to help students recover like the implementation of remedial programs. It is important to carefully consider which aspects of the lessons need to be focused on, and which students should focus on.

Under the 2021 national budget, some P16,615,694,000 has been set aside under the Department of Education's (DepEd) funding for "flexible learning options." Some P6 billion has been also appropriated for unprogrammed flexible learning options.

The use of various teaching methods such as self-learning modules, radio, and television will continue to support teachers and students.

The role of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) is also important to reach more than 2.3 million students who have not been able to enroll due to the pandemic. A special provision in DepEd's flexible learning options fund allocates more than P559 million for the program.

By 2021, officials said we must pour the budget and all resources to ensure that the knowledge of our students does not deteriorate.

Before the pandemic hit, international assessments showed that students in the country were lagging behind compared to students abroad that is why it is important to implement education reform and training for teachers to improve the quality of education in the country.

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The author is Teacher III at Eastern Porac National High School