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Philippine Education System Under The "New Normal"

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education worldwide, including in the Philippines where over 28 million learners were affected by school closures. This led education systems to transition to online and distance learning models. The "new normal" in education in the Philippines involves blended learning approaches using different learning modalities as internet and technology access remain challenges, especially for those in remote and low-income areas. Education in this new environment must not only ensure student health but also continue providing equal opportunities without sacrificing quality, particularly for marginalized groups. Solutions will need to be tailored to each learning community.

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Klenny Batisan
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321 views1 page

Philippine Education System Under The "New Normal"

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education worldwide, including in the Philippines where over 28 million learners were affected by school closures. This led education systems to transition to online and distance learning models. The "new normal" in education in the Philippines involves blended learning approaches using different learning modalities as internet and technology access remain challenges, especially for those in remote and low-income areas. Education in this new environment must not only ensure student health but also continue providing equal opportunities without sacrificing quality, particularly for marginalized groups. Solutions will need to be tailored to each learning community.

Uploaded by

Klenny Batisan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Klenny Adria M.

Batisan
12 STEMH A2-2

Philippine Education System under the “New Normal”

In the first two months of the pandemic, almost all countries worldwide had provisional
shutdowns of educational institutions to lessen the numbers of positive cases of the Novel
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and subdue the transmission of the COVID-19 (Tria as cited in
UNESCO, 2020). 1.2 billion learners around the world was troubled by this interruption,
affecting more than 28 million learners in the Philippines (Tria as cited in UNESCO, 2020).
Students and teachers are continuously forced to study and work in their homes because of the
government’s response to the pandemic such as different lockdown protocols and community
quarantines which led to the implementation of online/distance learning system. This school
year is really different in the “new normal”, with students and teachers participating in their
homes. With the enhanced community quarantine in effect and the unclear future of what
COVID-19 holds, the vast number of learners is facing challenges.

Whilst fighting for the COVID-19 pandemic, we have formulated a new catchword to describe
what we look forward to – the new normal. The American Dictionary (2020) defines new
normal as “a previously unfamiliar or atypical situation that has become standard, usual, or
expected.” What is it that has become the “normal”? The lockdowns, masks, face shields,
alcohols, social distancing, and the widespread support gadgets are a must in order to adjust in
the situation. There are 331,869 positive cases in the Philippines as of October 10, 2020 and is
still increasing (DOH, 2020). In response to these situations, educational leaders decided to
adopt the new normal in education. In basic education, the Department of Education (DepEd)
has implemented the Learning Continuity Plan (LCP), which has been in effect School Year 2020-
2021 and classes has opened on August 24, 2020 instead of June 2020 (Llego, 2020). In the
higher education sector, the Commission on Higher Education, HEIs were given academic
freedom and should implement available distance learning, e-learning, and other alternative
modes of delivery to students (CHED, 2020). It is concerning if our new normal in education
would provide quality, inclusive, and accessible education for every student.

Home school and online learning are among the proposed solutions at this point in time.
However, it remains a challenge to access technology and internet for those in remote areas. It
is evidently known for students in the public education system to lack internet connection at
home or be unable to afford to “load” their phones regularly for data connections. Some do not
even have laptops, computers, or phones at all. In spite of the fact that this is a reality that
many schools, students, and communities will face, the Department of Education (DepEd)
proposed a combination of different learning modalities and used the Blended Learning
approach. Other factors such as home environment, learner attitudes toward home learning,
and technology competence can affect learner outcomes and the effective use of Blended
Learning. Learning at home also requires parent participation and support. Although, the
struggle of technology access still remains for public school students.

Education in new normal should not just be about operating in an environment that
ensures the health of students; nor should it be about completely transitioning to online
learning system. Instead, provide remote coaching to increase efficiency in areas that do not
have the capability to do so, while encouraging learners and communities to create positive
learning environments in which the student can grow. The quality of education should not be
sacrificed but continue to provide equal opportunities, most importantly to the marginalized
and vulnerable sectors. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but one that is dependent on the
needs of each learning community.

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