ACCORDING to the Department of Education (DepEd), 17.9 million learners have so far enrolled for school year (SY) 2021-2022. This is only equivalent to 68 percent of the total number of students for the SY 2020-2021 and it is even far lower compared to the DepEd national enrolment data before the pandemic hit the country.
The figures may signal the worsening situation of the Philippine education system. The education program being observed during this pandemic appears to be discouraging millions of students from continuing their education and this threatens to reverse the gains that the country has achieved in terms of ensuring that basic education is accessible for every Filipino child. With the growing poverty and hunger incidence coupled with the limited government support, millions of learners are struggling to meet the financial requirements in DepEd’s blended learning program. Poor families cannot even provide decent food on their tables so it’s even harder for them to secure smartphones and internet connection for their children’s online classes. On the other hand, parents are complaining over the glaring problems in self-learning modules while students are lagging behind the supposed competencies that they should have acquired.
Clearly, students and parents are gradually losing confidence in the government’s capacity and willingness to implement effective and appropriate education program. Without concrete solutions and changes in its framework and approaches, Filipino students will continue to suffer from the grave learning loss and deprivation of their inviolable right to education.
Various education stakeholders have put forward several matters for the government to consider. These are the following: Roll out a clear plan for the immediate safe conduct of limited and voluntary in-classroom learning in zero-case and low-risk areas, and provide a roadmap to the eventual safe reopening of schools across the country. Provide the needed teaching and learning resources for distance learning. Ensure the provision of health protection and payment of just benefits to education workers. Allocate higher budget to education in 2022.
Moreover, the government must include the issues and concerns of Filipino children in the overall pandemic response. Aside from addressing poverty and hunger by securing livelihood and job opportunities for their parents, the government must ensure that basic social services including health and education are accessible to Filipino children.
