PERFORMANCE TASK IN ENGLISH (page 26)

A call for change? Students cry out #AcademicEase

“How come giving piles of requirements and hectic deadlines become today’s learning basis of
education?”

Piles and piles of tasks and modules await students as they adjust to what we call “distance learning”. At
first, students tried to remain optimistic saying: “Kaya mo to, bes.” or “Modules lang kayo, kayang kaya
ko kayo”. Students thought that it was just their bodies and minds adjusting to the new normal way of
studying, but it was far from that. The stress of the academics during this time added over the looming
threat of the corona virus that is rapidly spreading around the country. Students are now joking that
they want to quit but realize that they shouldn’t and the reason would be: “Sayang tuition.”

Since when did the tuition fee become a motivation to force ourselves to study? The students are not
learning anymore. We are just complying requirements, since when did our requirements sum up our
academic progress?

The new normal made us realize that online learning seems to be a privilege students have. Where
everything is done in a matter of weeks and fast paced lessons. A call for change was started by students
who could not take it anymore.

It was #AcademicFreeze.

DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones rejected the call for academic freeze, stating that delaying the school
opening further would be very detrimental to the children and Filipino students will be left behind if the
academic year was to be cancelled this year. Secretary Briones does have a point though, but what the
students need is right now is not the pressure of academics.

Education was never about the requirements nor the grades. Everyone deserves access to a quality
education and that is one of our rights. We do not need an academic freeze but what we ask is an
Academic Ease. Online learning has become a burden not just to students but also to parents and
teachers. The burden paved the way for the students to experience stress that led through anxiety and
depression. I personally believe that education should be accessible despite our current situation in the
pandemic. But this is not the way it should be.

Given the current circumstances I believe that learning should be made flexible for our situation. We
must adhere to standards of learning but we should bear in mind that we are not in the same boat
altogether. Some are privileged, some are not, and others lie somewhere in between.

Learning is not a privilege. It is our basic right and every child must not be denied of it. Piling modules
and tasks for the students is not learning. Not all students can learn by themselves, not all are privileged
to adapt to our current situation. There must be a call to change: a call to change where no student will
be burdened nor left behind.