This week, schools in Laguna province and in the entire Philippines are set to go back into face-to-face classes.
More than two years after the Covid-19 pandemic forced the country’s education sector to adapt to the lockdowns and the restrictions through modular and online learning, students and teachers are once again ready to face each other in the school environment.
Highest in the country
An indication of the “excitedness” of students and parents to return to face-to-face classes is the sheer number of enrollees in the Calabarzon region for school year 2022-2023.
According to data released by the Department of Education (DepEd) last August 3, 2,116,809 learners were registered in the Calabarzon region, higher than the National Capital Region (NCR) which registered more than 1.7 million enrollees.
This number also accounted for over 10 percent of the national figure for enrollment hitting 14,284,778.
Ready to go back
According to some education officials, many of the students themselves are willing to go back to school after two years of being cooped up inside their houses and seeing their classmates only on their screens.
“What we’ve been receiving is that ang mga learners natin are raring to go, or enthusiastic na mag-open na ang in person classes. They are enthusiastic, they are anticipating this by August 22, they’ll be meeting new friends,” was how DepEd Calabarzon Officer-in-Charge Assistant Secretary Alberto Escobarte put it in an interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).
This same sentiment was shared by some parents in a recent poll conducted by OpinYon Laguna on the readiness of the education sector to go back to in-person classes.
Some parents, in fact, are eager to get their children back to school as they worry that the two years of distance learning, where students have to learn on their own through modular and online learning, had done little to educate their children.
"Handa na kami upang magbalik eskwela. Masyado nang walang natututunan mga kabataan," was how netizen Marissa Denosta Facundo put it to OpinYon Laguna.
Covid-19 surge?
With this record number of enrollees in the region, parents and teachers alike now wonder whether the government’s decision to return to face-to-face classes amid an ongoing pandemic will present even more problems.
And they’re not just talking about a possible surge of Covid-19 cases among children, considering that Laguna province is once again facing another surge in cases in past weeks.
Data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed that Laguna now tops the Calabarzon region in the number of active Covid-19 cases, with 1,325 cases reported as of August 17.
"The most frequent issues parents raise with our school is [Covid-19] protocols," Michelle Nikki Junia, school director of Musikgarten Philippines (which has a branch in San Pedro City), told OpinYon Laguna. "For example, what happens when one catches Covid-19? How long will face-to-face classes be cancelled?"
However, education officials are quick to point out that majority of the schools in Laguna province have already received their Safety Seals, a requirement imposed by the national government on business establishments to confirm that they strictly follow health protocols against Covid-19.
Old problems
What they are worried about is that the same old problems that had plagued the country’s education sector for decades – the lack of school buildings, lack of educational materials, added pressure on schoolteachers who had had to endure the hardships of distance and online learning in the past two years – will come back.
When interviewed by OpinYon Laguna, some education officials in the province have tacitly admitted that these same old problems are still the top issues now faced by their offices.
Both Edna Agustin, head of the Biñan City Schools Division Office (SDO), and Dr. Lourdes Bermudez, head of the San Pedro City SDO, said the main issues now being faced by their offices this new school year is the lack of classrooms and teachers.
The continued implementation of Covid-19 health protocols meant that the number of students inside classrooms will have to be limited to meet social distancing guidelines.
This, coupled with the surge of students who have transferred to public schools, have put more pressure on teachers and school officials who now try to accommodate the new students while keeping up with health protocols at the same time.
Class shifts, ‘blended’ learning
One solution many school officials now see to the issue of lack of classrooms is implementing a “blended” learning modality – that is, scheduling when classes will be held face-to-face and online.
“There will be schedules for in-person classes and for the asynchronous activities,” San Pedro City SDO head Bermudez said in a letter for OpinYon Laguna.
Another solution is, once again, holding classes in shifts, a tactic the DepEd has done for years to alleviate the classroom shortage.
"[Our office has] designed a class program for double shifting, but with the assurance that the safety of the learners and teachers will not be compromised," Bermudez added.
Moreover, the San Pedro City SDO said the city government will continue giving out tablet phones to students who will be taught through the blended learning modality, a move started last year by the previous administration of former Mayor Lourdes Cataquiz.
Proceed with caution
Most educators have agreed that returning to in-person classes is “long overdue” considering the challenges and pressures faced by students and teachers in the distance learning mode.
However, some, like Musikgarten Philippines’ Michelle Nikki Junia, believe that transitioning back to face-to-face classes should be conducted in a gradual manner, considering the still-present threat of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In fact, Musikgarten Philippines currently offers what it called a “hyflex” mode of learning, or hybrid face-to-face and distance learning, for its pre-school students.
“Pushing for a full face-to-face at this time is a hurried move for everyone,” Junia explained. “It is wiser to transition gradually in order to find solutions in challenges arising in our current situation. We can remedy without affecting the majority of students that can have a domino effect to their families when they get back home from school.”