Reopen schools, because distance education is simply not working

It has already been more than a year since the country shifted to distance education — online classes, modular learning, and a combination of both — yet, somehow, students seem only to become less and less interested in continuing. Or maybe we have grown tired of this counterproductive setup.

We have been forcing ourselves to digest every bit of information being uploaded in our digital classrooms, have lost count of the many slaps and pinches we have inflicted on our cheeks just to stay awake during late-night hours lest our third cup of coffee failed to serve its purpose, and have unwittingly blamed ourselves for the disappointment of failing to meet deadlines.

Unstable internet connectivity, outdated mobile phones and computers, insufficient load balances, or the complete absence of all these essentials hinder young Filipinos from the education they rightfully deserve. It is as if their constitutional right is being purposely taken away from them.

But because Filipinos are naturally creative innovators, students, along with teachers, have done everything to make flexible learning not only proactive but also endurable. We have tried to free ourselves from the confines of our mobile screens by challenging what is given to us by the government, yet almost no progress transpires; everything just leads to burnout.

I refuse to accept that this is the new norm of education. I refuse to accept this band-aid solution that only denies millions of underprivileged Filipino youth their right to education. I refuse to accept that while there is enough budget to support Filipino youth, the money was instead wrongfully utilized, displacing millions more of our marginalized youth. I refuse to accept that instead of heeding the call for more inclusive and pro-student policies, educational institutions chose to prioritize anti-student ideologies fostering individualism rather than collectivizing the youth sector.

I refuse to accept anything less, especially when the country’s education executives can do so much more than neglect us.

I am writing this letter to let our education executives know that it is not too late. If malls, resorts, and cafés can resume their operations subject to protocols, why not schools? There should be free mass testing and rapid vaccination of students, teachers, and staff. With the youth and education sectors immunized, the safe resumption of physical classes is feasible. Mass immunization targeted to these sectors will also help alleviate COVID-19 cases.

We have the budget to do so. Unfortunately, it’s in the hands of leaders with misguided moral compasses. The Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Education should appeal to the administration to transfer unutilized departmental funds to the education sector.

Instead of billions of pesos being flagged because of deficiencies or being left unspent, the money should be redirected to education, to advance academic growth among the youth and let the next generation prosper under a quality and pro-student education system.

If you want the Filipino youth to soar with competence and brilliance and fulfill their promise as the “pag-asa ng bayan,” reopen the schools. #LigtasNaBalikEskwela

RAY MARK SAMSON ESPIRITU
espirituraymark@gmail.com