WE CANNOT stress this enough: the declining participation rate and quality of education brought about by school closures is a learning and child development catastrophe waiting to happen. The National Economic Development Authority itself projected that the limit to students’ learning ability due to the lack of face-to-face classes for a year would result in a projected P11-trillion loss in productivity over the next 40 years.
School closures have also profoundly affected students’ physical and mental health, as manifested by reduced physical activity, poor eating habits, and sleep disturbance. Many children who were also forced to spend more time at home in a stressful context increased the risks of family violence. The shift to online learning also exacerbated the threats of online harm and disrupted services for identifying and reporting abuse and mental health issues.
At the household level, the economic consequences of the prolonged distance learning modalities, especially the online classes, have discouraged many families from enrolling their children.
Many quarters are asking President Duterte to support the expert opinion for a gradual and voluntary approach to school reopening that will guarantee every Filipino child’s safety and holistic development in the long run. There are calls for the pilot testing of in-person learning and also for the Department of Education (DepEd) and other concerned government agencies to immediately strengthen existing distance learning modalities. Without urgent action, we fear that the hard-won battles of education equity would be eroded.
Particular focus should also be given to children who have opted to drop out of classes since the school closures began. Factors that led to this situation must be holistically addressed, including socioeconomic circumstances such as lack of Internet access and hardships experienced at home.
The government should look into how the gradual school opening approach has been successfully implemented in China, Mexico, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The government can learn from the experience of countries like Sweden and Denmark, where physical classes were initially only allowed for students in lower grade levels, as they are less vulnerable to contracting the COVID-19 virus.
School closures should always be the last resort during the pandemic, as its dire ramifications will continue to haunt our nation for generations to come. The learning losses incurred will not only aggravate the existing inequality in education but will also translate to lost earnings for our economy over time.
If we don’t reopen schools with a phased approach, the most vulnerable children will be in danger of never walking back through the school gates, gambling their futures to uncertainty.
