Teaching Literacy in Times of Pandemic

Girlie C. Castro

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the education system worldwide impacting more than 1.5 billion of the world’s student population, this is according to UNESCO. More and more children are being forced to stay home and the risk of students becoming detached from education is inevitable. At present, our school system has been adapting various programs to continue the literacy learning of the students making sure that children are not deprived of their right to quality education.

How do we teach literacy during pandemic? It is indeed an undeniable fact that teaching literacy at this time is a challenge to both educators and parents. Since learning is a social activity, face to face interaction would be impossible. Social distancing can pose challenges between teachers and students thus the involvement of families particularly the parents is being encouraged. Educators and parents must work hand in hand to effectively support students’learning whether it be through direct instruction or through guidance for self-directed learning. The government on the other hand must support the students, parents and teachers in the implementation of various programs such as provision of digital books, digital programs and various applications which are accessible for free on their mobile devices. Partnership with telecommunication companies, civil society organizations and adapting technology-based programs may also play a vital role in achieving possible results.

The success of education during this time of pandemic requires collaboration and cooperation. A child’s right to a good quality education does not end if schools are closed. Schools may have been shutdown temporarily, there may be less interaction between students and teachers but these should not stop the delivery of learning. Indeed, there are a lot of things to be done for students to get back on track.

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The author is Head Teacher III at Bonifacio V. Romero High School Angeles City