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.
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