EDITORIAL - Perhaps it is better to wait

More and more schools around the country are being proposed for the so-called face-to-face classes.

When the government and education officials said “face-to-face” classes some of us really thought it would be the old traditional way; with students sitting as a group and directly engaging a teacher who is writing on the blackboard.

But in this case, “face-to-face” is actually just an expression. For the public elementary and high school students, there are limited students inside a room, and each student sits in a booth built around the chair or table they are using. There is almost little to no interaction.

From where they are the students can’t see the blackboard, they can’t talk with other students unless they leave their booth. They read from handouts or printouts as the teacher “teaches”.

Of course, we can’t blame anyone for this setup; everyone’s safety has to be considered as there is still a pandemic going on.

Perhaps the authorities should reconsider these so-called “face-to-face” classes for now.

How conducive to learning is this current setup? When students are in their own little booths, it may be like they are in their own little world. Away from other students, away from teachers, and perhaps even away from learning.

Remember that some of our students fared poorly in an international ratings test in math, science, and reading recently. And that was under the traditional setup where students and teachers directly engaged. How much or how well can they learn in the environment they have right now?

Again, we are not blaming authorities for taking all the precautions to protect our students and teachers. We are just asking if it isn’t better to wait until almost all of us have been vaccinated, or when COVID-19 is no longer a threat at all, before we can resume classes in the more traditional way, with direct interaction and engagement between students and teachers.