ni Lolet Abania | May 23, 2021
Umalma na ang ilang grupo ng mga kabataan hinggil sa desisyon ng Commission on Higher Education (CHED) na ipagpatuloy ang pagpapatupad ng flexible learning sa mga susunod na taon dahil anila, magpapalala ito sa kinakaharap nang problema ng mga estudyante at mga guro sa ilalim ng new normal.
Ayon kay National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) Jandeil Roperos, ang bagong polisiya ay lalong magpapalubha sa nararanasang hirap sa pinansiyal, mental at emosyonal ng mga estudyante dulot ng flexible learning. “It would also jeopardize the quality education that is their right,” ani Roperos.
“Face-to-face classes remain to be the most inclusive and accessible option for education. If CHED wishes to pursue prolonged flexible learning, do they at least give gadget and connection assistance to those in need?” pahayag ni Roperos sa isang statement.
“It has been a month since lockdown, and frankly, the bursts of calls for academic breaks and academic ease are taking place as a reflection of how exhausting and unsustainable the current set-up in learning is,” dagdag niya.
Inilarawan naman ng Kabataan Party-list ang bagong polisiya bilang “gross negligence of duty to the education sector.” “Teachers and students struggle with lacking internet infrastructure and modular learning,” sabi ng grupo.
Ipinanawagan din nila sa commission, “to support calls to provide student and teacher subsidies and to allocate funding for the safe return to face-to-face classes.”
Ayon kay Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago, hindi lahat ng estudyante at mga guro na tumalima sa flexible learning ay nakapag-adjust na sa kasalukuyang learning set-up, kung saan mas malayo pa rin aniya sa tinatawag na flexible. “It has taken a toll on students and teachers’ health and well-being as they struggle with online classes, experiencing stress and anxiety amid the health and economic crises,” post ni Elago sa Twitter.
Sa ilalim ng flexible learning, na ipinatupad bilang tugon sa pag-iwas sa pandemya ng COVID-19, ang mga kolehiyo at unibersidad ay nagsagawa ng learning o pag-aaral sa pamamagitan ng pinaghalong online (virtual classes) at offline methods (modules at iba pang printed materials).
Gayunman, maraming estudyante at mga guro ang nagrereklamo hinggil sa hindi maayos na internet connectivity at sobra-sobrang workload dahil sa bagong mode ng pagtuturo. Sa isang webinar naman nitong Biyernes, binanggit ni CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera na pinagtibay na ng commission ang isang polisiya para ipagpatuloy ang flexible learning kahit pa matapos na ang pandemya.
“Bringing back face-to-face classes will expose educational stakeholders to the same risks if another pandemic comes in and would have wasted all the investments in technology, in teacher training, in the retrofitting of our facilities,” sabi ni De Vera.
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