THE COPING MECHANISM OF THE “BEHINDS”
When we say behind, do we consider ourselves to cope up right before it gets worst? Or do we
get to choose a timeline for everything? School, most especially the era that we have now, concludes
everything that we could not learn outside it. It gives us the opportunity to cope up to knowledge-based
scenarios, academic requirements and criteria for adulthood, and also information about everything in
between. Should we continue the face-to-face classes as part of our mechanism to cope up with the once
who are far behind their academics? This, I think, would be the best way to make sure that everyone, may
it be in private schools or in public, is catered with the same basis to lift them from being out of the cycle
of education and push face-to-face classes in full-blown.
Schools during the pandemic were forced to close just like any other establishments. Students
were no longer allowed to go there physically for years. Millions of students around the world were ceased
from their academics starting March of 2020. According to UNICEF during their press release on March 3,
2021, more than 168 million children globally are at home doing nothing and waiting for the continuation
of face-to-face schooling. Imagine the days that could’ve been used for learning and development in
school if it was not because of COVID-19. Face-to-face classes should’ve started earlier this year.
Face-to-face schooling throughout the world have already been implemented, but for what or for
who? Is it for the schools who are barely thriving because of the effects of pandemic or for the students
to really cope up from years of being stagnant? The Department of Education (DepEd) mentioned in
August of 2019 that, as per their data of schools permanently closing, 425 of them, all private schools
have decided to shut down their operations. It is because of the inability of the owners to sustain their
operations due to years of challenges. On the other hand, students were greatly affected not only the
schools. We all know that the students are the main reason why private schools are thriving. But because
of the pandemic, they are both severely affected, the knowledge and the income. Being behind even
though there are still integration of online and modular type of schooling earlier this year could be a living
proof that we need the new normal face-to-face schooling to really cope up with the changes.
Even though transition period is hard and is traumatizing for the parents and the students to go
to school having known that the pandemic is still around, face-to-face is a must. The pandemic worldwide
and its effects to the students who stopped going to school and literally in front of their monitors and
gadgets and modules at home proved that their comprehension most especially their reading
comprehension became at risk compared to physically in school (Setyosari, 2022). Being a student in the
Philippines, a country which has the lowest in comprehension and Mathematics, I believe that going back
to school physically would really help students to be more knowledgeable and informed than just studying
on their own. Now that schools are gradually starting to re-open and even countries’ borders, students
are now obliged to do better than during the times of online classes.
Although it is best to make it face-to-face, some couldn’t afford to go to school for some valid
reasons. One of them is financial hindrance that killed millions of dreams. Parents would not allow their
children to be at risk during this time of uncertainty and would still prefer online and modular. This may
seem very intriguing and unreasonable for others, we can’t risk lives because learning could take place
anytime and anywhere.