“THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES”
A Case Study on ED 315
Presented to __________
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of
Master of Education Major in Educational Management
By:
Andy Ryan M. Amandoron
Joemarie C. Amalla
January, 2021
1
ABSTRACT
The impact of pandemic COVID- 19 is observed in every Sector
around the world. The department of Education as well as world
are badly affected by this. It has enforced the world-wide lock
down creating very bad effect on the Students' life. Around 25
million
learners
in
elementary
and
secondary
schools
in
the
Philippines were affected and all educational activities halted.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has taught us that change is inevitable
It has worked as a catalyst for the educational institutions to
grow and opt for platforms with technologies, which have not used
before the education sector has been fighting to survive the
crises with a different approach and digitizing the challenges to
wash
away
the
threat
of
the
pandemic.
This
highlights
some
measures taken by Department of Education to provide seamless
education in the country. Both the positive and negative impacts
of
Covid19
on
education
are
discussed
and
some
fruitful
suggestions are also pointed to carry out educational activities
during the pandemic crisis.
2
I.
INTRODUCTION
The
pandemic
Covid-19
has
spread
over
whole
world
and
compelled the human society to maintain social distancing. It has
significantly disrupted the education sector which is a critical
determinant of a country’s economic future. February 11, 2020,
the World Health Organization proposed an official name of the
virus as COVID19 an acronym for Coronavirus disease 2019. It was
first identified in Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019. First
death by COVID 19 was the 61-year-old man in Wuhan, China 2020.
The WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic on 2020. The Department
of Health announced last January 30, 2020 that a 38-year-old
female Chinese national who travelled to the Philippines from
Wuhan
—
the
Chinese
city
where
the
coronavirus
outbreak
originated — via Hong Kong tested positive for the virus. The
first death due to COVID-19 was reported in the Philippines on
February 2, 2020 (CNN Philippines). It has affected more than 90
million people worldwide (WHO). According to the UNESCO report,
it had affected more than 90% of total world’s student population
during mid-April 2020 which is now reduced to nearly 67% during
June 2020. Outbreak of COVI-19 has impacted more than 120 crores
of students and youths across the planet. In the Philippines,
more than 25 million students have been affected by the various
restrictions and the nationwide lockdown for COVID-19. As per the
3
UNESCO report, about 14 million of primary and 13 million of
secondary students are affected which are two mostly affected
levels in the Philippines.
After observing the corona virus pandemic situation, the WHO
advised to maintain social distancing as the first prevention
step.
So,
every
country
started
the
action
of
lockdown
to
separate the contaminated people. The education sect including
schools,
colleges
suspended
and
universities
and
all
universities
examinations
including
of
entrance
became
closed.
schools,
tests
Classes
colleges
were
and
postponed
indefinitely. Thus, the lockdown destroyed the schedules of every
student. Though it is an exceptional situation in the history of
education,
COVID
opportunities
to
come
out
of
the
rigorous
classroom teaching model to a new era of digital model.
The lockdown has compelled many educational institutions to
cancel
their
choose
the
classes,
online
examinations,
modes.
Initially,
internships
the
etc.
educators
and
and
to
the
students were quite confused and didn’t understand how to cope up
with the situation of this sudden crisis that compelled closure
of the educational activities. But latter on all realized that
the
lockdown
has
taught
so
many
lessons
to
manage
with
the
emergence of such pandemics. Thus, COVID created many challenges
and opportunities for the educational institutes to strengthen
4
their infrastructure. The lockdown has given them a ray of hope
for
teachers
and
students
to
continue
their
educational
activities through online. The teachers assigned work to students
via
internet,
delivered
lectures
video
conferencing
using
different Apps like Zoom, Google meet, Facebook, YouTube, and
Skype etc. The Department of Education pushed modular education
on those areas that has no internet connectivity. There are
Facebook groups of guardians, teachers, students and parents for
effective communication through which they are always in touch to
share their difficulties through this e-medium. In a nation like
China that practices a considerably more centralization system, a
change to digital learning may be simpler. Even in a nation like
the U.S.A, there are some low pay students who don’t approach
broad bands and unable to use computerized learning arrangement.
The same is the situation that happens with the Philippines where
not every student is well equipped with the high-speed internet
and digital gadgets and are along these lines of suffer. Numerous
advanced educational institutions in the Philippines are not also
equipped with digital facilities right now to cope up with sudden
change from traditional education set up to the online education
system.
II.
Objectives
5
The
present
research
paper
focused
on
the
following
objectives:
 To enlighten various measures taken by Govt. of India for
education sector during this pandemic.

To
highlight
various
positive
impact
of
COVID-19
on
education.
 To enlist some negative impacts of COVID-19 and to put
some effective suggestions for continuing education during the
pandemic situation.
III. METHODOLOGY
Data
and
collected
information
from
presented
various
reports
in
current
prepared
by
study
are
national
and
international agencies on COVID-19 pandemic. Information is
collected from various authentic websites. Some journals and
e-contents
relating
to
impact
of
COVID-19
on
educational
system are referred.
Initiatives of the Department of Education during Covid-19
To prevent spread of pandemic COVID-19, the Department of
Education
has
taken
government
headed
by
number
the
IATF
of
preventive
(Inter-Agency
measures.
Task
The
Force
on
Emerging Infectious Diseases) declared a countrywide lock-down
of
all
educational
institutions
on
16
March
2020.
DepEd
6
postponed all examinations of elementary and secondary schools
on March 18, 2020 throughout the Philippines. CHED released
revised
guidelines
for
examination
centers
to
conduct
examinations by maintaining a distance of at least 1 meter
between the students taking the exam with a class not having
more than 24 students. If the rooms of the examination centers
are small then the students should be divided into different
rooms
accordingly.
The
Philippine
Regulatory
Commission
postponed all professional Examination. Similarly, the most of
the state Governments and other educational boards postponed
examinations
due
to
outbreak
of
COVID-19.
The
Philippine
government has observed a nationwide lockdown from March 25,
2020 onwards in different phases. The Philippine government
has been extending lockdown periods from time to time adopting
different
strategies
educational
to
institutions
fight
remained
with
the
closed
pandemic
continuously.
but
The
lockdown GCQ was declared on June 29, which is effective from
1st July to 31st July 2020 with some less restriction in other
sectors
except
education.
Almost
all
state
government
the
provincial, cities and municipalities have taken measures to
ensure that the academic activities of schools and colleges do
not hamper during the lockdown period. They have instructed
the schools to hold all their classes online or distribute
modules.
The
lockdown
has
accelerated
adoption
of
digital
7
technology.
It
has
provided
a
chance
to
develop
new
and
improved professional skills/knowledge through online learning
in more efficient and productive way. Online learning is the
best solution during this pandemic Covid-19 situation (Pravat,
2020b). It is a vital tool for solving the present crisis due
to Covid-19. It is a fact that technology-based education is
more transparent with all respect. Looking at this challenge
of colleges and schools being shut, the Philippine government,
as
well
as
state
governments
and
private
players
have
undertaken proper initiatives. The Department of Education has
made
several
arrangements,
including
online
portals
and
educational channels through Direct to Home TV, Radios for
students to continue learning. During lockdown, students are
using
popular
social
media
tools
like
Zoom,
Google
meet,
Telegram, YouTube live, Facebook live etc. for online teaching
learning system. This is a unique platform which combines all
digital resources for online education.
8
I.
Background of the Study
Efforts
to
stem
the
spread
of
COVID-19
through
non-
pharmaceutical interventions and preventive measures such as
social-distancing
and
self-isolation
widespread closure of primary,
schooling
in
over
100
have
secondary,
countries.Previous
prompted
and
the
tertiary
outbreaks
of
infectious diseases have prompted widespread school closings
9
around the world, with
Mathematical
outbreak
modelling
may
be
effectiveness
varying levels of effectiveness.[16]
has
shown
delayed
depends
by
that
transmission
closing
schools.
on the contacts
of
an
However,
children maintain
outside of school.[17] School closures may be effective when
enacted promptly. If school closures occur late relative to an
outbreak, they are less effective and may not have any impact
at
all.[18]
Additionally,
in
some
cases,
the
reopening
of
schools after a period of closure has resulted in increased
infection rates.[19] As closures tend to occur concurrently
with other interventions such as public gathering bans, it can
be
difficult
to
measure
the
closures.[20] During
the
the
school
United
States,
specific
1918-1919
impact
influenza
closures
and
of
school
pandemic
in
public gathering
bans were associated with lower total mortality rates.[21]
Cities that implemented such
II.
Case Proper
III. Objectives
The study was based on the following objectives:
(i)
To
find
out
what
the
principals
and
teachers
perceived were the prospects of SBM if it was
introduced in Division of Sipalay City
10
(ii)
To
establish
what
the
principals
and
teachers
perceived were the accrued benefits of SBM if it
was introduced in Division of Sipalay City
(iii)
To
find
out
what
challenges’
schools
would
experience if SBM was to be introduced in Division
of Sipalay City
IV.
Constraints
Constraints are natural phenomena in any school that provide
challenges and opportunities to instructional leaders in their
respective stations. The disaggregated results showed males
were generally more resilient in performing their functions
compared
to
resources,
their
school
female
heads
counterparts.
have
to
Given
establish
the
limited
linkages
with
stakeholders (community, alumni, local government units) for
additional funding and other forms of support. Overall, the
results
further
suggested
that
school
principals,
head
teachers and school heads should be provided with intensive
training
on
basic
management
program
since
they
are
both
acting as managers and leaders. It is further supported the
said activities indicate an excellent management foundation, a
prerequisite
to
better
leadership.
The
high
level
of
difficulty felt by the school administrators on the variables
11
of administrative functions indicated their apparent lack of
managerial capabilities.
Despite the efforts by various stakeholders in the education
sector to reform education in the Philippines, the current
decentralization of education services has not been able to
yield any worthwhile results with education quality being the
major problem. The education sector faces management problems
ranging from delays in decision making, ineffectiveness in
implementing
inadequate
recommendations,
remuneration
lack
leading
to
of
low
adequate
morale
resources,
and
lack
of
accountability at the district and school levels. The people
who know what goes on in the school are never involved in
decision making pertaining school management policies and this
has
hindered
the
improvement
of
services
delivered
by
the
education stakeholders particularly principals and teachers in
elementary schools. It was against this back drop the study
sought
to
investigate
the
perceptions
of
principals
and
teachers in regard to SBM prospects, benefits and challenges
if it was introduced in public secondary schools in Division
of Sipalay City.
V.
Alternative Courses of Action
12
School-based
Management
(SBM)
is
an
organizational
strategy to improve education by transferring significant
decision-making authority from state and district offices
to individual schools. SBM provides principals, teachers,
students, and parents greater control over the education
process by giving them responsibility for decisions about
the budget personnel, and the curriculum. Through the
involvement
of
members
these
in
effective
teachers,
key
learning
parents,
decisions,
and
SBM
other
can
environments
community
create
for
more
children
(Worldbank,2007). The underlying principles of the said
program is that the people directly involved and affected
by school operations are the best persons to plan, manage
and improve the school (Bernaldez. M 2011). Therefore.
SBM
is
related
to
public
relation
to
strengthen
the
stakeholder's participation in the school programs and
projects.
several
The
said
developing
program
countries
was
being
ell
over
implemented
in
the
In
world.
Australia, the program was being implemented in early
1950s
and
experimented
1970s
with
in
various
more
states.
open
and
Some
schools
participatory
relationships with parents and school communities, with
the creation of school councils. There was also some talk
of more autonomy for school principals in running their
13
schools. It was with the help of Australian government
that SBM was introduced through the SEAM progam. SchoolBased
Management
(SBM)
has
five
dimensions
such
as:
Dimension 1- School Leadership, Dimension 2 Stakeholders
(Internal and External), Dimension 3- School Improvement
Plan,
Dimension
4-
School
Management
of
Resources,
Dimension S — School Performance Accountability (Manual
on School Governing Council, 2012).
In the Philippines, some issues besetting the school
system, especially the public school include high dropout rate, quality educational service, high repetition
rate, and limited holding capacity of the schools. Over
the past decades many initiatives and reform efforts have
been
implemented
to
address
these
problems.
One
key
response of the national government is the adoption and
implementation of School-based Management (SBM) anchored
on
the
decentralization
trend
of
the
70'.
SBM
was
officially implemented as e governance framework of DepEd
with the passage of R.A. in 2001 as legal cover. Third
Elementary Education Program (TEED) Secondary Education
Development
and
Improvement
Project
(SEDIP)
and
Basic
Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) - three pilot
projects implemented by DepED- support the SEM as viable
structure reform intervention used to improve the quality
14
of
education
in
the
public
school
so
as
to
produce
functionally literate Filipinos.
VI.
Analysis on Alternative Courses of Action
From the findings, the respondents indicated various
aspects which they perceived would be the benefits of SBM
in
secondary
school
management.
Among
them
included:
increased accountability and transparency, creativity and
innovation by the stakeholders, smooth implementation of
decisions
and
creation
of
social
unity
among
others.
These findings are in line with a study by Briggs and
Wohlstetter
(1999)
arrangements,
which
schools
are
indicated
managed
that
more
under
SBM
transparently,
thus reducing opportunities for corruption. In addition,
SBM often gives parents and stakeholders opportunities to
increase their skills. In some cases, training in shared
decision-making,
interpersonal
skills,
and
management
skills is offered to school committee members so that
they
can
become
more
capable
participants
in
the
SBM
process and at the same time benefit the community as a
whole. According to the results in regard to principals’
and teachers’ attitudes on challenges of SBM approach in
the
management
Principals
of
disagreed
secondary
that
SBM
schools,
would
37.5%
create
of
the
tension
15
between them and the teachers. This could have resulted
from the fact that principals have always wanted to work
very closely with the teachers for the welfare of the
school.
Concerning
workload,
50.0%
of
the
principals
agreed that SBM would lead to increased workload for both
principals
agreed
and
with
teachers.
the
31.3%
statement.
of
It
the
is
teachers
evident
from
also
the
findings that principals felt that this would lead to
increased
work
especially
for
them.
These
findings
corroborate with the findings of another study conducted
by
Wohlstetter
initiatives
and
based
Odden
on
(1992)
SBM
pose
which
new
states
and
that
important
challenges for some of the school actors like principals
and teachers.
Whilst, SBM is about participatory decision making the
bulk
still
implementation
lies
with
of
every
the
principals
decision
in
to
the
oversee
school.
In
whatever circumstances the principals should always lead
by example and play a very important role in the modeling
among
the
teachers
and
the
students.
SBM
requiring
considerable initiative and efforts by individuals at the
school site was rated highly as a challenge of SBM by
both
parties.
teachers
62.5%
supported
of
the
principals
opinion.
This
and
39.1
perhaps
of
the
resulted
16
from the fact that SBM being a new concept would require
a
lot
of
collaboration
among
the
stakeholders
in
implementing new ideas and trying to make it work. There
would also be a lot of expectations by the stakeholders
hence
need
for
concerted
efforts.
In
addition,
undertaking reforms would require a lot of initiative in
order to fade away frustrations that were likely to occur
along the way. When respondents were asked whether SBM
would create frustration and slow decision making in the
school,
75.0%of
disagreed
with
principals
the
and
statement.
46.8%
These
of
findings
teachers
indicate
that both the principals and teachers did not expect that
the challenge of frustration and slow decision making
would arise as a result of SBM. This perhaps resulted
from
the
current
fact
system
that
due
they
to
were
uncomfortable
inefficiency
and
with
anything
the
that
would allow them make decisions was highly welcomed. The
challenge
of
whether
SBM
would
make
principals
and
teachers devote less time to other aspects of their jobs
was also raised. 62.5% of the principals and 51.6% of the
teachers disagreed with the statements. These findings
implied that both parties were committed to their work
and nothing would interfere with their task performance.
It could also mean that both parties were motivated to
17
undertake their assignments and nothing could distract
them. This perhaps stemmed from the fact that SBM was
meant to improve efficiency at the school.
VII. Conclusion
Organizational change theory requires school managers
should
have
a
broad
understanding
organizations
work
duties
responsibilities
and
in
carrying
of
how
out
systems
their
effectively.
and
respective
In
this
particular study, it has been revealed that most of our
instructional leaders working in the Division of Sipalay
City had a high level of difficulty in managing the areas
of
human
handling
resource,
and
physical
management,
facility
management,
data
conflict
resolution
and
management, establishing linkage including the performing
instructional,
school
supervisory
administrators
managerial
to
instructional
had
leadership
leaders
functions.
The
continuously
functions.
are
perceived
role
of
evolved
from
Currently,
as
the
the
these
leader
bringing change and transformation in their respective
organizations. Due to the above-identified shortcomings,
the study concluded the actual performance of principals,
school
heads
and
head
teachers
were
way
below
the
18
expected
standards
and
criteria
of
school-based
management frame of reference. To mitigate the current
problems
the
researchers,
interventions
for
recommend
implementation
by
the
the
following
Department
of
managing
the
Education:
(i)
Conduct
comprehensive
training
on
school-based management system.
(ii) Require
training
all
school
managers
on
adequate
to
attend
supervision,
related
curriculum
development, and accomplishing of the monthly and
quarterly instructional, supervisory plan.
(iii)
Periodically
determine
that
the
monitor
actual
the
performances
accomplishments
to
fully
comply with the agreed management standards.
(iv) Related
research
enhanced
managerial
may
be
undertaken
competencies
of
to
the
monitor
school
managers.
VIII.
Recommendations
Guided
by
the
findings
of
the
study,
researchers
recommended the following:
19
(i)
Principals
involved
and
in
teachers
making
should
decisions
be
actively
about
secondary
schools’ management because they are the people on
the ground and understand the school environment
better.
(ii)
Principals
and
stakeholders
formulating
teachers
should
secondary
also
school
being
be
the
major
involved
policies.
In
in
this
way, they will own the policies and implement them
with due diligence.
(iii)
The Department of Education should mount capacity
development
courses
regularly
in
order
for
principals and teachers to keep abreast on the
emerging issues and trends on school management
and curriculum.
IX.
Strategies of Implementation
In the light of the findings and conclusions drawn from
the results of the study, the DepEd should strengthen the
implementation of SBM with different schools through the
following actions:
(i)
The
school
leadership
heads
skills
need
to
to
ensure
enhance
that
the
their
school
runs effectively and efficiently. They need to
20
access funds for budgetary needs from e variety
of sources in order to provide resources for
teaching and learning.
(ii)
The schools under this study need to enhance
their
communication
procedures
in
order
to
encourage more participation and cooperation of
their respective stakeholders.
(iii)
The
school
enhanced
more
and
chance
transparency
the
to
also
stakeholders
participate
needs
must
and
be
to
be
given
involved
in
school decision-making.
(iv)
The SBM has to continue as a program to improve
school operations.
(v)
The SBM dimensions should strictly be followed
in
order
to
improve
school
performance
indicators.
21
X.
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