NUSP on class resumption, mass testing

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

(Deanna Louise Montenegro, Cordillera spokesperson of the National Union of Students in the Philippines (NUSP) writes this corner’s piece for the week)

Philippine society and education have always been in crisis. Facing a global pandemic, the situation of youth and students is at a deadlock. It has been two months since the country has been under quarantine. Daily operations like education and public travel have been totally halted—yet we see no significant change.

The Commission on Higher Education has been mum and utterly useless while students and parents are left anxious over the situation. Both CHED and DepEd are geared to have online classes or other Flexible Learning Options (FLO) for “usual operations” in education to continue. In this, the youth’s voice on these measures must be heard. The following demands articulate the calls of youth and students as most of us face the end of the second semester of A.Y. 2019-2020.

We have been calling for online class suspension and passing all students since the beginning of the quarantine. Despite student clamor, CHED and school administration have implemented policies that have left students at an impasse.

While the student's collective action gained some victories—like online class suspension in UC for the first part of ECQ and in the UP system, and suspension of TOFI in SLU—schools and major universities continue to impose requirements and online classes to catch up with the ending of the second semester this month.

We continue to assert that online classes and distant learning are not accessible, safe, and acceptable in the situation we face. We recall the very recent travel accident involving Kriselyn Villance, 2nd year criminology student at Capiz State University who was looking for signal to submit a school requirement, resulting to her death.

While face-to-face physical learning is definitely off the table—UP COVID Pandemic Response team deems it unsafe until December 2020—institutions like DepEd and most schools have announced the use of Flexible Learning Options (FLO) in the form of online classes, radio and television format, and delivering class modules to the homes of students themselves.

We commend the variety of options FLO provides (other than online learning), but see it as unfeasible given our current state. While countries like Germany and first world countries have an easy capability to have all students use laptops and internet for schooling, the Philippines’ substandard education and public services make it impossible. Moreover, these solutions must be supported by feasibility studies and looking into the preparedness of personnel, logistics, and overall students’ and families’ access.

This will only result in higher dropout rates as only those who can avail and afford FLO may continue their education—a greater gap in access, widening the effects already left by the K-12 program.

We cannot simply “value education” over our health. The Philippines currently has a 6.64% fatality rate and 20.82% recovery rate for COVID-19 cases, the lowest and highest in ASEAN (accordingly). Additionally, we are being tagged as having the “world’s longest lockdown” while seeing no positive results in health-care while the cases reach 12,305. In term of flattening the curve, the country has made little to no progress.

The backwards state of education, not to mention the socio-economic crisis that the country faces even prior the pandemic, makes distant/online learning schemes almost impossible. We cannot go back to business as usual, or continue with the “new normal,” while most of our countrymen are left behind.

Tuition refund is only just economic relief for bereaved families during this time. CHED must officially suspend tuition collection and TFI, even in autonomous universities like UB and UC.

Actual calculation of discounts or refunds must be released. Schools like SLU and UB have already presented 8% and lab fees discounts (respectively). CHED must ensure that these are reasonable and computations must be accorded to how they have been used by the school. It is unjust for schools to collect tuition fees at this time; similarly, tuition fee increase for the next school year (2020-2021) must be halted.

Medical solutions must be met before we can continue with classes and requirements. The value of education must not only be seen in grades, achievements, and finishing our diplomas, but in how we strive towards education for all—not only the few. While we continue to unite and struggle against the colonial, commercialized, and repressive state of our education, we must also work for the betterment of our society in this pandemic.