Mandatory Face-to-Face interaction is a Must

When COVID-19 spread swiftly across the globe, isolations and lockdowns became the norm. People had to stay at home in order to halt further infections. Offices had to shut down; schools had to close their doors.

While schools closed their doors to the physical presence of students and school personnel, learning remained unabated. The Department of Education went into work mode and created the MELCS or the Most Essential Learning Competencies. These were the competencies that the Department deemed essential for one’s academic growth. This was coupled with the modules created by teachers in their subject of specialization. The modules were then distributed by district or by school for the learners to use in their self-study.

For one year, the students had to make do with a modular set-up due to the virulence of the virus; but as more and more people became vaccinated and connectivity became more available in the country, schools shifted to asynchronous learning.

Some deemed this setup to be too late. Students had to face a lot of obstacles; there was a weakness or absence of connectivity, scarcity of resources for information gathering, and most of all, a lack of social interaction with their peers.

The students struggled the most during the pandemic. Many faced the most difficult times and levels to the point that they would cut classes or simply stop due to the voluminous work assignments that keep them awake and working late into the night. Some said they felt alone, others – anchorless while others felt discouraged.

Interaction with their peers and teachers was a necessity. Unfortunately, this was not always readily available. Connectivity caused a great division that students felt strongly. Only a few could connect with their classmates and teachers or if they could, they were not bold enough to communicate. Thus, students’ socialization skills and the amount of knowledge they have acquired during the pandemic was at an all-time low.

When asked, students miss face to face classes. They miss listening to their teachers, interacting with their peers and building relationships with people in the school. All these result to important sections of growth that the learners have missed out. This is a price too high for any society.

Face to face interaction must be encouraged, no, made mandatory so as to fill the gap that was left open during the pandemic.