Education amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Minette B. Manayag

The Department of Education (DepEd) has exhibited and proved that it is adaptive to the Covid-19 pandemic situation and is flexible enough to hurdle the challenges the “new normal system” of education brings.

The pandemic, no doubt has altered the landscape of education in the Philippines as well as the entire global academic community. It has brought about the prohibition of the all-too-long revered traditional face-to-face classes in which teachers and students interact each day and classroom activities are essential for engaging learners to achieve objectives geared towards quality education.

However, amid the challenges of the virus crisis, the DepEd has been extending its all out support to teachers and stakeholders in the academe: from educators, administrative staff and other non-teaching personnel.

The pandemic has also provided an opportunity to build back better and how best to help teachers to cope with the crisis, plus become better equipped with the skills to succeed in the aim of sustaining quality education for students in all levels.

And despite the crisis’ downsides, teachers were quick to adapt lesson contents they designed to deliver in a physical setting to an online or distance learning and modular format. The ability to instruct effectively became a merit, appropriate skills and the capacity to adapt to the new context, while continuing to interact and effectively engage with learners and parents as “co-teachers” have become a norm and a benchmark.

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The author is ESHT III at San Miguel Elementary School