ILOILO – With online, modular or even broadcast (radio or television) learning likely to increase feelings of isolation among students due to lack of face-to-face interaction, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) wants to examine its effects on mental health, most especially on learners having difficulty adjusting to these new types of classes.
The legislative body backed SP member Ramon Sullano’s call for the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Information, Communication and Technology (DICT) to study the condition of students to improve their learning situation.
“In this time of pandemic, distance learning takes the place of the traditional face-to-face class setup where teachers and students are geographically remote from each other during instruction. How is it fairing so far,” Sullano asked during Wednesday’s regular session of SP.
He cited the now-viral social media post of Ilongga professor Hazel Villa of the West Visayas State University – College of Education titled “Tears and Powerbanks on the First Day of Online Class.”
Villa discovered the inconvenience and hardships experienced by her students attending the first day of their remote class.
The educator revealed that her students are not using “Zoon” or “Google Meet” because they could not afford to purchase load for their gadgets.
She also shared a story of her student who told her that he might disappear from the chat because he had one bar left and needed to go home to recharge.
“This story casts a bleak scenario that prompted this representation to raise an open-ended categorical question – what is the real status of online classes in the province of Iloilo,” said Sullano.
Here’s a portion of Sullano’s speech: “What is the assessment of the Department of Education in terms of its effectiveness in delivering the right to education that no student is left behind? Are the teachers technologically equipped with the skills to carry out this digital program? Are they fully trained to handle psychological problems in the conduct of virtual instruction? We hear of complaints against some teachers yelling at learners online. How about the students? How are they coping with the demands of online classes? Several students have lamented they are no longer learning as their focus has shifted to completing assignments on a daily basis. Is there still a balance between screen time and other activities of students that will keep them physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially fit?”
Sullano also did not ruled out the possibility that mental stress brought by the new methods of learning may have pushed some to take their own lives.
He noted the rising cases of suicide in the province this year.
“With 72 cases and still counting, suicides are more of a mental health issue brought about by physical distancing, self-isolation, working or studying from home and loss of social contacts during the community quarantine. These lead to loneliness, anxiety and depression,” Sullano said.
All SP members agreed to summon officials of DepEd, DOH and DICT for a committee hearing.
“DOH should look into the effects of online classes on the behavior and mental health of learners. Where connectivity in remote areas is a problem, DICT plays an important role to address this concern. Either the internet is slow or unavailable, this needs immediate attention as well,” said Sullano.
Vice Gov. Christine Garin’s Committee on Education will lead the hearing together with the Committee on Health headed by SP member Darl Tupas and Committee on Transportation Communication and Public Utilities headed by Sullano.
The SP has yet to schedule the committee hearing./PN
