EDITORIAL - No turning back

Despite misgivings raised by some teachers, school year 2020-2021 will open on Aug. 24, the Department of Education announced yesterday. The DepEd reiterated that the school opening would proceed even after glitches turned up during the pilot test for the new blended learning mode that is being adopted amid the coronavirus pandemic. Education officials said the pilot test was meant precisely to reveal the glitches so these can be addressed before classes start.

DepEd officials have repeatedly stressed that there would be no face-to-face classes in the new mode of formal education, which will rely heavily on digital technology. Where students lack the devices or internet connectivity, learning modules will be physically distributed. The earliest that face-to-face classes may be held is in January – if a COVID vaccine becomes widely available.

The government, however, cannot brush aside the concerns of the teachers who say that not all of them are ready for blended learning. Not all teachers are tech-savvy; they need rigorous training for the blended learning mode. There is also the problem of class size in the typical public school in this country, which makes digital education more complicated.

Several exclusive private educational institutions that have long used digital technology need little preparation: they are shifting completely to online education for the current school year. Those assisting educators in other schools in the shift to blended learning say the ideal class size for online education is about 20; the average class size in public schools is 40. The number could rise as students in some private schools opt for free education and transfer to public schools because of financial difficulties amid the pandemic.

DepEd officials have rejected proposals to postpone the school opening at least to January, pointing out that other countries in the region have resumed formal education despite the COVID crisis. A postponement would mean Filipino school children would be left behind by their peers in the region, DepEd officials point out.

With no turning back and only two weeks left before school opening, the DepEd must ensure that all teachers get intensive training for the unprecedented shift. The new mode of learning will be confusing enough for many school children; the teachers should be fully equipped to guide their students through the new system.