Life Over Education

Last February 22, 2022, the Department of Education released an official statement regarding the expansion phase of limited face-to-face classes here in our country. According to DepEd, the Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones has already given all regional directors permission to begin the phase of progressive expansion of face-to-face classes, both in public and private schools. Some schools located in areas under alert levels 1 and 2 have already started in February while other schools are still preparing for limited face-to-face classes to be held hopefully this March or April. This implies that after years of missing face-to-face classes and meeting new friends due to the pandemic, learners once again get to cherish the joys of going to school.

For the previous academic years, our country settled on new methods of learning that are unfortunately, not accessible to all. Not everyone is privileged enough to attend online classes. There are thousands of students that decided to stop, and the main reason behind it is the fact that they cannot afford the expenses of having online classes. Other options were given by DepEd, and one of those is the modular learning wherein they will provide self-learning modules and teachers will print, arrange, and distribute modules to the students. Admittedly, this pandemic has been rough to our mental wellbeing that because of the blended learning for two years, many students struggled a lot that their mental health started to be affected and damaged.

Such problems and many other concerns arose during those times—probably the reason why DepEd is determined to continue the implementation of face-to-face classes. It is undeniable that learning inside school facilities and being personally taught by teachers is far more effective than self-learning at home.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the country is decreasing on a daily basis, indicating that the pandemic is about to reach its end this year. Due to the decrease of COVID cases, many areas in our country including Metro Manila entered the Alert Level 1. However, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that “transitioning to Alert Level 1 does not mean that the pandemic is over,” urging Filipinos to proceed practicing and applying basic health protocols. We should still be reminded that the pandemic is still ongoing, and that we should follow all the measures we were taught during our stay in quarantine.

In the return of face-to-face classes, DepEd should make sure to implement the health protocols strictly to ensure the safety of every student and teacher, especially that the COVID virus is still inside our country. As stated in DepEd’s memorandum, schools participating in the limited face-to-face classes should strictly follow their given parameters. Only schools that have passed the Safety Seal Certification are the only ones allowed to engage with the preparation for face-to-face classes; and only vaccinated teachers, school staffs, and preferably learners as well may participate. During this pandemic, the planning and execution of school health policies must be based on accurate data provided by numerous institutions.

Now that everything is slowly going back to normal, let us not waste this opportunity to make this country a better place for each and everyone. Keep in mind that this given chance to participate in the limited face-to-face classes should be used wisely and carefully to not regress on COVID cases. We must remember that this “new normal” we are about to enter brings new difficulties and risks to be aware of, so everyone should be extra cautious. Our main objective is to bring back face-to-face classes for everyone in all levels and so to achieve this, we need to follow the health protocols and cooperate with the authorities. In times like this, everyone’s safety should be our top priority, for the lives of students still matter more than their education.