CAN WE SUSTAIN QUALITY EDUCATION DURING PANDEMIC?

Avendia N. Sanchez

The current COVID-19 Pandemic has provided a set of circumstances not only in the Philippines, but Globally that have a big impact in our lives and memory. Students, parents, and educators around the world are feeling the extraordinary ripple effect of the coronavirus as schools, establishments, churches and offices are shutting down and quarantine methods are being ordered to cope with the global pandemic. While governments and health officials are doing their best slowing down the outbreak, global education systems are collaborating to collectively respond and provide quality education for all during these difficult times. Our job is to help everyone in providing quality education for all even in these exceptional times

Public servants like teachers, have been forced to rethink, renew, re-plan on how they are going to teach or what strategies they are going to use virtually in order to sustain the quality of education in our country.

The vital element or ingredient of interactions has been jeopardized. Teachers have lost the privilege or opportunity to ask questions influentially. Lost the ability to confidently gauge students level of performance in engaging in different activities, specifically the group activities.

Online Learning has created an impact to have students feel the excitement of being seen on cameras, speak with a microphone or using different gadgets when interacting with other students , but bored others. Many students have placed at a great risk and teachers their new responsibilities using their level of expertise and confidence..

Teachers are thinking on what prior knowledge do they have on which to build new knowledge, are the examples or questions being raised can illustrate the point in which they want to make? Where technology such as Google Classroom, Google Meet Zoom are available or can ensure the effectivity of teaching-learning process?

Education today is not only the process of gaining information through the internet, not only on how we create an amazing and colorful power point when presenting our lesson to our students, nor how computer literate we are in front of everybody, just to prove that there is a quality in education.. What is more important nowadays are information that can be transformed into knowledge our experiences that can train us to interpret different issues and events in our lives.

In short education helps our students acquire knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to make it useful and lead to meaningful lives.

As long as the Government, the Department of Education, Parents or other Stockholders become partners in children’s Education , quality education can be sustained.

--oOo-The author is Secondary School Teacher III at Francisco G. Nepomuceno Memorial High School

Tila ibang mundo ang ginagalawan natin ngayon. Pumihit tayo ng sandaang porsyento mula sa dati nating nakasanayan. Totoong nag-iba ang ating buhay nang dahil sa pandemya.

Hindi biro ang idinulot ng nakahahawang sakit. Umakyat at pumanaong sa apat na sulok ng mundo at kumitil ito ng maraming buhay, bukod pa sa nagpahina sa ekonomiya ng mundo.

Mahirap kalaban ang hindi natin nakikita. Ang totoo, wala tayong kakayahan na matukoy kung sino sa ating nakakasalamuha ay may ganoong sakit, at anong bagay ang nagtataglay nito.

Isa, at ang pinakamalimit na ipagpaunan ng Pamahalaan sa atin ay ang pag-iingat nang lubusan. Wala pang napahamak ng dahil sa pagsunod. Ito sa ngayon ang pinakamabisa nating sandata laban sa nakamamatay na sakit.

Ang pagiging responsable o mapanagutin sa sarili ay susi para dito. Kung responsable ka, hindi mo hahayaang maging dahilan ka pa sa pagkalat nito. Isasaalang-alang moa ng iyong pamilya sa tuwing lalabas ka. Iisipin mo rin ang iyong kapwa, sapagkat ngayon, ang kailangan ay pakikiisa.

Sabi ng Gobyerno, magsuot lagi ng face mask at face shield. Panatilihin ang malayong distansya sa kapwa at ugaliing maghugas ng kamay. Iwasan muna ang mga matataong lugar at makipamahay sa iba dahil sa pagdalo mo sa kaniyang kaarawan, o sa simpleng pagbisita. Iwasan muna ang bisyong nakapagpapahina ng katawan, dahil kapag nagkataon at nagkasakit ka nito, tanging katawan mo ang panlaban mo rito.

Huwag na nating hayaang maging kabilang pa tayo sa milyon-milyong biktima nito. Kung noon ay mahal ang magkasakit, ngayon mas mahal at higit na mahirap, bukod pa sa mga suliranin mong sosyal at sikolohikal. Hindi mo lubusang alam kung anong mga pangyayari ang nasa loob ng ospital habang pilit na sinisikap na gamutin ang mga pasyente ng ating mga frontliner. Wala kang alam kung paanong pakikipagbaka kay kamatayan ang pilit na sinusuong ng mga biktima nito para lang mabuhay. Wala kang alam at huwag mo nang subuking malaman.

Sa ibabaw nito, habang naghihintay tayo sa lalong mabisa at mahusay na lunas, hangga’t maaari ay manatili na lamang tayo sa loob ng ating tahanan. Sundin natin ang mga ipinatutupad ng pamahalaan at makiisa tayo sa kanila. Sa panahon ngayon, ang kailangan natin ay maging sensitibo, responsable, at bigyang-pansin ang pag-iingat upang huwag na tayong mapabilang pa sa mga mananahan sa mamahaling banga ng dahil sa COVID-19.

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The author is Secondary School Teacher II at Rafael L. Lazatin Memorial High School/ Senior High School.