The days get exciting and nerve-wrecking at the same time as the education sector tries to enter into the new normal. It consists of making modules for basic education and course packs for those in college. While others have chosen to go completely online, I could only shake my head in dismay. The internet and the privilege of having to pay for the internet are only given to those who can afford.
My social media feed is full of students showing their current "school from home" setup. Some private schools have required their students to wear their full uniform during online classes. As if non-wearing of uniforms makes them less of a student. In a day, there are about three to four classes that are purely synchronous and online. What happens if the budget for the internet is limited? Or even for a gadget? I go back to the ideology that education is only given to those who have the means to do so.
The Department of Education has been trying to cope up by using other ways such as modular, radio and TV-based instruction. But my curiosity leads me to ask if these kinds of learning processes have been proven effective or not. It is true that nobody was prepared for COVID, but we could have at least studied the process if it could impart even the slightest knowledge amidst a pandemic. Or at the very least, suspend the academic calendar for now.
I saw a parent rant on social media that the students taking the modular platform are more concerned in beating the deadline than getting the right answers for the module. Others are also complaining that the burden has been tripled by being an employee, tutor for the new normal of education and a full-time parent at the same time. It's no wonder if most parents would go into depression after this phase in their lives.
Being an educator is challenging, but they say you must put in mind the limitations of your students. My first session online was a struggle. I had to try hard to understand stuttering speeches because of internet instability. If we were to go on like this, I doubt any learning would be retained. It is hard and a heavy balance to strike. Something that the education sector should reconsider.
One of my students said that the virus robbed them of their many wonderful moments supposedly for this year. I really didn't know how to respoted. It needs a good management, supervisory structure, competent associates, and inspiring leaders. Good governance which are accountability, ethics and transparency which is based on truth and justice are necessary ingredients. This is applicable not just to business organizations but also for governments and nations. This is also true for any organization or any group of people with a purpose, including our families.
By now, I’m sure the big business groups all over the world, and some countries have done these on their organizations, hopefully our government is doing the same.