THE REAL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

The Yuletide wind is right on our faces as the cold temperature also reminds us of Christmas this month of December. This is the same blow of wind last year and for the past years. But for many and most of us, the end of this year gives unsympathetic breath of air. Who would have thought this pandemic could last until this month? Literally 3/4 of 2020 spent in quarantines and lockdowns as we still are merely not seeing the end to the Covid-19 hysteria. The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, December 3, 2020, confirmed 1,061 new coronavirus cases, though the lowest in about a month.

I know that the pandemic has surely changed not only the course of history. December is supposed to be a time when one can sit down and plan on the holidays. Everything would feel light and gay. Work is done and it is time to chill and celebrate. It is usually about merriment-celebrating the holidays, thanksgiving for another year given to us, and enjoying a family time permitted by the Holiday break.

But this feeling would not come this time. Think about those who have lost their jobs, those who have lost their loved ones, and those who are displaced. Think of the situation where we cannot celebrate in groups because of fear of the virus. The pandemic has already claimed 8,418 lives across the country in the last nine months. Families that have been affected by the Covid-19 will be celebrating with fewer family members. For the experts, this Christmas the availability of the vaccine could bring us, somehow, to a situation like the old normal.

To my note, Christmas is Christmas. Despite Covid-19, it is Christmas. Admittedly, it is still a slow Christmas but the Christmas lights are starting to go up. The pandemic has been a terrible wet blanket. It has killed thousands, infected hundreds of thousands, and has scared a hundred million Filipinos. But Christmas is Christmas. We may not celebrate it like before but we will celebrate it. Yes, it may have a different meaning this time.

Caroling has been discouraged, churches are urged to hold Christmas masses online or control the number of individuals attending, and gatherings have been discouraged, among others. Others will not be able to make it home this Christmas. For those outside their hometowns and living in high-risk areas, they are wary to go home for the possibility of being asymptomatic or may catch the virus on their way home.

But one thing for sure, things will surely pass. Shakespeare said it so. There is always hope and the December wind may be whispering about it too. This means that even without money to buy all the material things that we usually long for during Christmas, we can celebrate Christmas. What is sad about the Christmas celebrations amid the pandemic if some families will not be complete? I hope that every one of us will come to realize that the reason that we are celebrating is the coming of our savior Jesus Christ to save us from all our indifferences and sins, so that we may be worthy of God’s infinite love and promise of forgiveness. This is the real meaning of Christmas.

The Health professionals are advocating precautionary measures to ensure a coronavirus-free Christmas season, such as limiting encounters with other people, and if it can’t be avoided, to hold gatherings outdoors for a short time only. In an online press conference, Dr. Antonio Dans, spokesperson for HPAAC, said the public should opt for outdoor activities if they want to gather with a small group of friends and relatives. For instance, Dans said the public may choose to patronize restaurants that have outdoor dining instead of indoor for proper ventilation. He also called on mayors to allow restaurants to place chairs in sidewalks so that customers can dine outside.

My Christmas wish for this year is for my family to always be healthy because they are really all who matter in the first place.

PUSHING THE CONNECTIVITY ALLOWANCE

 It’s been over a month since no-face to-face classes started. No argument that the first and foremost responsibility of the government is to ensure education continuity. And, to realize this mandate is through the ample allocation of the people’s money. But, as far as the costs of the blended learning is concern the teachers and learners themselves who are shouldering thier communication-based expenses as to teach their students, reach out to parents, report to their immediate supervisors, and engage in further training online even they are reeling from the effects of the pandemic.

They have realized the need of “eight hours or more” connectivity for their lesson preparation, meetings and webinars, submission of reports, and the online conduct of classes. Because of this, they are asking  for such a connectivity allowance to support them the on-going implementation of the distance learning in the country despite these challenging times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the side of the Department of Education could not deny the fact that their request is valid and very factual. “We recognize the importance of load allowance for our learners and teachers to deliver quality education despite these challenging times due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Briones said.  “With support from our Congress and the DBM, we shall continue to push for more financial assistance to our stakeholders,” she added.

The official website of the Department of Education (DepEd) announces that the department is advocating for the release of connectivity allowance for public school teachers and senior high school learners to further support the country’s shift to distance learning, effective next year. The report also mentioned that DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones has requested the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to issue P4 billion for the implementation of Digital Education, Information Technology, and Digital Infrastructure and Alternative Learning Modalities as stipulated in the Republic Act No. 11494 or also known as the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.

The fund will also cover the connectivity load of around 3.2 million SHS students and 900,000 teachers across the country amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, wherein teachers will receive a P400 monthly load while students will receive a P250 monthly load within three months. DepEd said P400 million will also be allocated to the creation of learning materials for DepEd Commons while P200 million will be allocated to DepEd TV and Radio. Meanwhile, P150 million will be given for the printing and the delivery of self-learning modules while P50 million will be allocated for the creation of 2,000 radio transmitters in Last Mile Schools.

Furthermore, Undersecretary Pascua also appealed to school officials to remind parents and learners regarding the free-of-charge or even without load balance the downloading of educational videos and SLMs from the DepEd Commons. He mentioned that DepEd is still exploring more ways to support distance learning by engaging telecommunication companies in the country.

Introduced by Manila Teachers Representative VIRGILIO S. LACSON to his proposed House Bill No. 8639, AN ACT PROVIDING FOR MOBILE DATA ALLOWANCE FOR ALL PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR,  it is incumbent upon the State to shall provide mobile data allowance for every public school teacher to facilitate decent and portable access to internet connection thereby improving learning instruction as well as to assist the teachers in the fulfillment of their noble profession of instilling life skills and values to our school children and to better recognize and appreciate their contributions to nation-building.

THE MENTAL HEALTH IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC

 AS HUNDREDS of thousands of children huddle in evacuation centers after most powerful typhoon tropical cyclone “Rolly” (Goni) made landfall across Luzon island on Sunday, the chief executive officer of Save the Children in the Philippines Lawyer Alberto Muyot made his appeal to the local government unit to urgently put in place proper health protocols to protect people sheltering in evacuation centers from life-threatening diseases, including Covid-19. “They must also ensure children and their families staying in evacuation centers are provided with hygiene essentials, nutritious food and clean water,” Muyot said.

Meanwhile, the DepED’s blended learning approach is indeed have become more demanding than ever. Perhaps most of the parents go through their lives harboring some type of unrest, disharmony and are ridden by anxiety because of their new roles as parents-teachers to their children aside with the uncertainty of the pandemic’s end.  Some of the parents in the primary and elementary year levels have been so anxious about the modules that their kids are answering. Some parents are worried that they are not educated enough to assist their children in their modular activities. They do not have the skills to solve mathematical problems and comprehend science lessons and answer compound complex grammar requirements.

HOW can we avoid Covid-19 when the virus is all around us? This is a persistent question to many anxious parents in these pandemic times. But, the World Health Organization (WHO) told that it is normal and understandable that people are experiencing fear in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. "Fear, worry, and stress are normal responses to perceived or real threats, and at times when we are faced with uncertainty or the unknown. 

In a survey conducted by WHO, the Covid-19 pandemic has prevented several individuals from accessing critical mental health services. "This report comes on the back of mounting evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic is having monumental effects on the mental health and wellbeing of populations worldwide," the Lancet Infectious Diseases said in an October 8, 2020 editorial. The Lancet added that "even before Covid-19, mental health conditions were prevalent, accounting for about 13% of the global burden of disease."

To my note, no one is prepared to deal with the mental health impact of this pandemic. Years of underinvestment in mental health, especially in low-income and middle-income countries, have left us vulnerable. It is well known that our ability to respond to, and recover from, the Covid-19 pandemic will require development of effective vaccines and treatments.

This week, Pfizer announced that the Covid-19 vaccine is developing with its German partner BioNTech may be 90 percent effective against the disease. While this was based on early and incomplete test results, it has given hope mostly to the parents amid pandemic. In a report by the Associated Press, Pfizer said it could possibly make 50 million doses available globally by the end of 2020. However, that is only enough for around 25 million people.

In a November 11 report of the Philippine News Agency, President Rodrigo R. Duterte assured the Filipinos that they will be vaccinated, but it will be a while before the country can secure doses. "So iyan mga kababayan ko, basta mabakunahan kayo. Kailan? Maghintay lang tayo. Pera? Makahiram tayo kaagad. Ang suplay ang problema. Kung sino iyong country nakapag-imbento, naturalmente unahin niya iyong mga tao niya. That's the reality of life (Let's make sure you get vaccinated. When? Just wait. Money? We could borrow immediately. The supply is the problem. This comes as both good news and bad news for Filipinos. Good in the sense that there is hope as the vaccines near completion. Bad news in the sense that we will have to wait.

 

 

THE OBSTACLES MARRED THE DEPED’S DECLARED VICTORY ON CLASSES OPENING

The official first day of the Philippines' unprecedented shift to distance and online learning is marred by multiple reports like of internet connectivity issues. EDUCATION Secretary Leonor Briones described the opening of classes last October 5,2020 under the new normal was successful despite reports of slow and weak internet connection, a major component of the department’s blended distance learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the obstacles, Education Secretary Leonor Briones still declared victory over the COVID-19 pandemic in 61,923 public schools across the country, attended by 24.7 million learners and more than 800,000 teachers.

Teacher Marcelina Dumaguing found several issues with the printed learning modules that have already been distributed to students. “Marami pong problema. Walang page lahat po ‘yan tapos ‘yung printing tapos may mga correction po… paano na e na-distribute na naming ang mga module sa mga bata?” she said. Dumaguing said parents who do not know how to navigate tools for online classes like Zoom are also another cause for concern.

In Marikina City, Grade 5 student Rhea’s excitement waned after her teacher went missing online, an hour after their half-day classes were scheduled to begin. With no teacher facilitating the classes, Rhea’s mother, Marian, messaged the other parents who, together with their children, were also awaiting instructions. Marian explained that some parents had endeavored to answer the modules for their children because “they had no other choice” but to follow the 11:45 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. daily schedule in order to submit accomplished activity sheets being collected by the schools weekly. “The students will not learn anything … Now, we cannot say that their learning will be an advantage when they move on to the next grade level. It’s very different from actual classes,” Marian said.

 

In order to provide an appropriate answer on the issue of the school opening for SY 2020-2021, Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said, “It will be recalled that at the height of the Marawi uprising, our call was ‘education must continue!’ In the midst of the Coronavirus crisis, our call remains the same: Education must continue whether face-to-face or virtual, with or without physically going to school. What we assure our learners, parents, teachers, and the general public is that any decision we will make for the continuation of learning will have their health, safety and well-being as primary consideration. We shall overcome!”

DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Diosdado San Antonio said that due to the compressed number of school days, Briones gave the go-signal to hold classes every Sunday. The first quarter of the academic year is from October 5 to November 28, 2020; second quarter from December 1, 2020 to February 6, 2021; third quarter from February 16 – April 10, 2020; and fourth quarter from April 12 – June 5, 2021.

Summer classes will be held from June 14 to 23, 2021. The Department’s Order 31, series of 2020, showed a sample computation on the grading scheme for written works and performance tasks under different subjects – language, math, science, history, music, arts, physical education, and technical and livelihood education. San Antonio said the student assessment and grading guidelines can also be used by private schools, technical and vocational institutions, and higher education institutions, including state and local universities and colleges.

 To my note, all these obstacles that marred the DepED’s declared victory on classes opening would be cleared-up guided of what is feasible, practical, acceptable, and tailored to the needs of each Filipino.

 

NOT ACADEMIC GRADES BUT THE OPTICAL GRADE OF CHILDREN ON BLENDED LEARNING

When the classes began last October 5, Briones claimed victory against COVID-19 as some 22 million public school students resumed their studies. Over 24 students in the Philippines began their virtual classes for a new school year amid a possibility that more than 3 million children from lower-income families, with no access to gadgets and technology, will be left out of the mainstream education.

The new academic year, originally scheduled to start in June, began after it was pushed back twice due to the pandemic that has infected 322,500 people and killed more than 5,700. Some 22.5 million students have enrolled in public schools and 2.1 million in private institutions for the new school year, compared to a total of 27.7 million in the previous year. To attract more students, the Department of Education has extended the enrollment period until the end of November as long as children attend at least 80 percent of the classes.

Although the country’s 47,000 public schools have been preparing for a virtual reopening for months, parent and teacher organizations have warned that this will be a challenging school year. They say many families do not have the resources to attend online classes despite many many municipalities having distributed devices and data cards in low-income neighborhoods. In the face of these problems, most public schools have opted for a mixed teaching method, with online classes being supplemented by the distribution of printed materials and the broadcasting of classes on public radio and television.

Up to date, DEPED Sec. Leonor Briones remains firm to her straight answer to the warnings, entreaties, and protests of the different concerned groups that classes must go on because the Philippines cannot afford to be left behind the other countries that have chosen to resume their own classes where everything is dangerous, unhealthy, unstable, uncertain, untested, where everyone is unprepared, unqualified, and ill-equipped.

To Briones, it does not matter if learning is less than ideal and falls far short of minimum standards for as long as the Philippines keeps in step with all the others. Briones herself emphasized this preference toward throwing caution to the winds when, asked to comment on the matter of preparedness, she snapped that Lapu-Lapu himself had not prepared for his encounter with Magellan, “a pretty convoluted logic, if you ask me, especially for an education secretary.”

But, recently, Dr. Mary Rose Teodoro-Chang, the head of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus at the Makati Medical Center, expresses her concerns of the possible effects of the new normal in Philippine education that is online learning. She said that with millions of school children now dependent on tablets and gadgets, the first thing that has gone up are not academic grades but the optical grade of children.

Dr. Chang gave her suggestions to those who are currently managing learners at home. She said, observe proper posture when seating in front of monitors. Make sure that the screen of gadgets and tablets is at eye level and the screen is 18 to 24 inches away from the eyes (minimum). Adjust font sizes to what is comfortable to the viewer as well as brightness. Do not waste money on gimmicky anti-blue light glasses but instead, if needed, get a pair of eyeglasses for long term computer use. Limit screen time, take breaks, observes the 20-20-20 rule of relaxation. Close one eye for 20 seconds then the other; focus on a distant object for 20 seconds to counter the short distance viewing strain. Relax or take a time out.

 

QUALITY ASSURANCE OF THE LEARNING MATERIALS MAY HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED

THE abrupt change in the mode of instruction of our learning institutions that was brought by the Covid-19 pandemic has sent all of us into frenzy. Not just the students nor the teachers, but even the parents and other stakeholders of education were affected with this sudden adjustments. Parents who seem not to care tutoring their children at home instantly found themselves becoming the private teacher of their own kids.

Since classes in public schools have begun on October 5, 2020, photos of alleged errors on self-learning modules and other forms of educational materials have been going viral on the internet. According to several news reports and social media posts, there are modules with grammatical errors. Others also included errors in some modules in Math. The Department of Education (DepEd) also drew flak in August for a question for an English class. The question was broadcasted on television as part of a Grade 8 English. It read: “Tagaytay City is known for wonderful picturesque of the majestic Mount Taal. What does picturesque mean?”

The agency, again, drew flak for a math lesson that was broadcasted. During the lesson, the teacher-broadcaster was teaching the students to determine "x" in "2x=0." The teacher-broadcasted said to solve the problem, “we divide both sides by zero to obtain the value of x, which is zero." However, netizens were quick to point out that this was incorrect. Aside from errors, there were also items that were questionable. For example, one that asks students to draw stars based on the numbers found below the box. The numbers below the box are in the hundreds like 896 or 473. Another is a multiple-choice asking what sound does an airplane make.

To my note, it is sad to note that quality assurance and quality control of the learning materials may have been overlooked.   The learning materials play an important role in the education of the students. It is just right for parents and guardians to raise their concerns on errors or questionable materials found in the modules or learning materials. It is also important for DepEd to act on these concerns and make corrections as quickly as possible. An erroneous module or learning material will not help our future generations.

Education Undersecretary Alain Pascua has already issued an apology for the errors found on DepEd TV. "Humihingi po kami ng paumanhin sa ating mga mag-aaral, sa mga magulang at teachers sa pagkakamaling ito. Hihigpitan po natin ang pag-QA (quality assurance) para maging perpekto ang ating mga episodes sa DepEd TV," he said.

Just recently, the Department of Education (DepEd) has set up a monitoring program to look into complaints of errors after the agency’s attention was called by netizens. “Error Watch is a solution the DepEd has provided to respond immediately to module errors. With this, parents who spot these errors should be able to report or provide the school and its teacher with feedback immediately.

Rather than going on social media first, it would be fitting to report it to the school first. This could allow the teacher to prepare in advance and make needed corrections before she gives assignments or conducts the class.

However, it is also important for DepEd that the body that will conduct quality control on future modules should not only be based at the central office but should also have a presence at the district level.