STUDENT RETETION IN THE ERA OF COVID-19

The author is Teacher II at Amsic Integrated School, Schools Division of Angeles City Reyven L. Pelayo

Student retention is one of the widely debated topic in the field of education. This is frequently studied and an on- going issue for several decades already. There are people who advocates retention and there are also individuals who opposed the idea. The question now is, W hat do I uphold? The former or the latter? As an educator, It is engraved in my professional philosophy that “no one should be left behind”. This entails the responsibility of a teacher to inspire students and share with the learners the clear vision of putting forth their best in every endeavor. I solely believe that retention only damages the motivation and confidence of students. Futhermore, it will only separate the individual with his peers which may lead to student’s decision to drop out from school. However, we can’t erase the fact that there are these students who will not do their work well and has the possibility to be held back. In this case, before retention becomes an option, there should be an effort from the teacher to identify the root cause of the problem and conduct interventions to facilitate success. Simultaneously, frequent monitoring should be conducted. In summary, it seems apparent that retention is not indeed a solution to achieve academic growth and success. Administration should impose programs that will promote what is best for each student. Interventions and additional programs should be created for students who learns differently and slowly. This can be a stairway for them to achieve higher quests and greater heights. This can be the key towards academic growth and academic success. All these mechanisms were evident in this time of New Normal. That in the midst of the global health crisis, every learner will not be deprived of the quality education they deserve.