A Solitary Existence: Education in the 21 Century
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With the infeasibility of education amidst the pandemic, it is undeniable that the quality of
learning received by students from virtual and modular schooling has regressed from the alreadyquestionable standard that traditional in-person classes imposed on students.
Within three months since the COVID-19 outbreak, students went from learningconducive environments to the comfort of their own homes—and for some, the discomfort. While
virtual and modular schooling allows students to study in various places, a sense of disconnection
from society overpowers the freedom students have assumed in the current arrangement. Students
were now found studying in different settings that students would not frequent during weekdays
before the pandemic, such as cafes, computer shops, and even on their phones on a jeepney, where
there are no professionals to teach them despite the synchronous classes that teachers hold for
students on Google Meet.
In addition, learners have had to rely on their own means to information. From
independently accessing journals on the internet and other learning materials in public libraries,
which take a lot more time than actually learning the lesson. Online classes continue despite
interruptions with the students’ physical environment or their internet connectivity. And while
modules do not pose the exact same issues, it is a fact that a lot of parents are answering modules
for their children, especially those in elementary, breeding a culture of dependence. And for older
students; procrastination.
Meanwhile, there are a select few that remain neutral in regards to the distance learning
situation, and even some people who support it. It was also observed that over the past two years,
some students have become comfortable with their online or modular setups and now find the idea
of face-to-face classes worrying. Those who were comfortable with online classes, claim that it is
more convenient for them, and some parents preferred to keep their eyes on their children. It should
be worth noting that such good opinions from parents and students on digital learning have mostly
come from a place of higher middle-class and upper-class privilege.
In spite of the fact that synchronous and asynchronous distance learning remains the safest
option during a pandemic, an estimated three million learners have dropped out of school in 20202021, forcing themselves to take gap years, as a result of the many problems induced by
lockdowns, such as the unemployment of many breadwinners, and the mere fact that some
households just did not have the means to keep up with the sudden shift to distance learning
modalities. Whether or not these means include technological devices like computers and
smartphones, study areas within the home, or something as simple as time, we as a society have
left one too many students behind.
For these reasons, people cannot help but wish for the revival of traditional classes, with
the possibility in mind that it can be held in safer ways through physical distancing, wearing masks,
and most of all: mass vaccinations.
The shift to distance learning modalities has taken several tolls on learners and educators
alike. Were we really meant to live such an individualized existence?