Effects of pandemic on learners’ studies
Alexander Bote Montemayor
With education becoming a shared responsibility, the Department of Education is calling for the involvement of all sectors of society, because everyone plays a vital role in shaping the lives of learners.
Due to the demand for changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought around the world, the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has become more complex. This is why the DepEd and UNESCO are calling for stronger stakeholder support in sustaining healthy learning environment for learners.
DepEd officials said the biggest impact of COVID-19 in the transformative education in the Philippines towards SDGs is in compelling them to look again beyond the confines of physical classrooms.
Learning spaces are habitats for learners where they learn to be adaptive and thrive. This emphasizes the shared responsibility of the stakeholders in an ecosystem, they shared.
DepEd highlighted the Basic Education- Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) as the program that allowed learning opportunities to all learners during the pandemic. The agency recognized the support of its field offices, LGUs, and its partners in delivering education services to millions learners.
While the education sector has a pervasive role in ensuring that learners acquire and develop multiple literacies and evolving competencies, it is not their sole responsibility. It is important to acknowledge that the people and the institutions in the everyday lives of our learners impact them and who they would be when they grow up, officials added.
Presently, the 17 SDGs formulated in 2015 are now adopted by 193 countries as their blueprint for sustainable living for all. UNESCO continues to recognize and support the efforts of the education sector and the Philippine government in attaining all of the SDGs.
The pandemic has added another layer of difficulties and challenges in realizing the SDGs, officials said. While recognizing unprecedented challenges posted by the COVID-19 pandemic, they also recognize that it has created an opportunity for changes that have a long-term impact.
This encompasses the use of information and communication technologies, the digital economy, and local government exercising authority in developing a recovery plan, officials shared.
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