UNIVERSITY OF CALOOCAN CITY

Graduate School

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY- EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT

MIDTERM EXAMINATION

DEM 416-SEMINAR IN CURRENT

TRENDS & ISSUES IN EDUCATION

Read the following questions carefully before you answer.

As the new government assumes office on June 30, the incoming administration
of president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inherited several long-standing issues across
different sectors, including the education crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Give your views and comments on the following trends and issues.

1. Open all schools for in-person classes.

Data from the World Bank shows that the Philippines’ learning-adjusted years
of school (LAYS) proficiency would be pushed back from 7.5 years pre-pandemic to 5.9
to 6.5 years, depending on the length of further school closures and the effectiveness of
the remote learning setup.
This means that while the Philippine basic education system offers 12 years
of instruction, Filipino students show proficiency equivalent to only around six years
spent in school. (READ: Distance learning in the Philippines: A year of hits and misses)

Answer:

The pandemic has really contributed to the learning gaps of students for more
than two years. We are one of those experiencing changes and adjustments to methods
to meet the learning gaps of each student. In my opinion, having face-to-face classes is
also good. In the era of distance learning, it is true that everyone has adjusted and
struggled. Parents, students, and teachers have experienced hardships during this time.
There are the complaints of parents that they have difficulty teaching their children.
There are children who do not want to listen to their parents because, for them, they are
not their teachers. There are parents who choose an online class even if they don't have
an internet connection just to have someone teach the kids. Even the budget for their
food is also used to load so that the child can enter the online class. On the part of the
teacher, they also experienced hardship. They make learning kits and modules to be
used in learning during the pandemic. Different reports are given that sometimes it's
midnight and must be finished immediately. It is also difficult for teachers because they
know that they also burden children who cannot learn or cannot read, especially those
who choose modular learning.

I was happy to say that there will be face-to-face classes in all schools. As a
teacher, I know that the excitement I feel in teaching is also felt by students and parents
that school is back to normal. The time of everyone's suffering is over, and it is now over
for the 2022–2023 school year because it is the beginning of face-to-face classes. This
is a big adjustment for each one, but this is the normal teaching and learning method for
each student. Health protocols such as wearing a face mask or face shield, avoiding
alcohol, washing hands before eating, and avoiding talking to neighbors, especially
during recess, are still not set aside. In my experience, many students are quick to
catch a cough, cold, or fever. So, we will continue to remind parents not to let children in
if they have a cough, cold, or fever. I hope the government pays attention to these
simple problems, especially for sick teachers. I hope there will also be consideration for
the teachers who get sick and still have a salary even though they are recovering
because they don't want it.

I just noticed that the educational supervisors in each school do a lot, especially
in reading. Like in our division, having PAR or performance assessment in reading has
become a burden for every teacher because of its quick implementation. It takes nearly
a week of preparation at the highest level and one day for the rest of us. The existence
of MFAT is also being restored in every school, which has not been implemented for a
long time and the school is still searching for data about it. Many teachers are also
getting sick, especially when the 9-hour workday is implemented in our school. The
other teachers are also overtired.

2. Hire more teachers, aides

In a text message to Rappler, Philippine Business for Education executive director Love
Basillote said that Duterte should hire more teachers and teaching aides for students to
“recover from learning losses.”
Answer:
There are many reports and implementations of programs in each school that
require a lot of manpower to implement. Having teacher aides is also a good way to
help other teachers in the classroom, especially in special education and grade 1, which
is the foundation of education. When teachers and students return to school, many
reports and activities are made. The adviser cannot handle a non-reader's catch-up
program alone. He must have a partner or group to carry out the project. Many teachers
are also complaining about the lack of teachers in the school due to the increase in
enrollees this year. There are many students but few teachers. Many teachers are
needed to work together and fix the problem of students' learning loss. I also hope that
the teachers will be given appropriate training on the steps to be taken to address the
learning loss of children, especially in reading. I agree to add more teachers and
teacher aides to quickly address the problem of students' learning gaps.

3. Better compensation package for teachers

In a statement on June 18, the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) appealed for
a better compensation package for teachers and educators both for public and private
institutions. They also asked for provision of free laptops and internet services as most
teachers had to dig into their own pockets to cover the costs of teaching under the
remote learning set-up. For years, teachers have been leaving the country in their quest
for better pay and better working conditions.

Answer:

Many teachers spend money on buying teaching materials. I hope the

government will pay attention to giving importance to what teachers will use in teaching,
such as laptops and others. There are teachers who are drowning in debt because they
take money out of their own pockets to make their purchases using teaching. There
have also been reports of many teachers moving to other countries to teach there. In
other countries, they include teachers, so the salaries and incentives given to them are
high. So sometimes a teacher can't be blamed for leaving the Philippines and teaching
in another country because of the low salary here. Hopefully, this will not be just a
promise but will come true. I also hope teachers' salaries will increase.

4. Address backlog of facilities in schools

Classroom shortages have been a problem even before the pandemic. A
class of 75 to 80 students was packed into one classroom supposedly meant for a class
of only 40. To make up for the lack of classrooms, class shifting had been implemented
to accommodate enrollees every year. (READ: Classroom shortages greet teachers,
students in opening of classes)

Answer:

Based on my experience, the classrooms are really lacking, especially when

students return from distance learning to face-to-face classes. Many students have
returned, including those who stopped studying due to the pandemic. Many out-of-
school youth have also returned to study. Due to the increase in enrollment, many
schools implemented shifting classes like in our school. Before, we had an exact
number of classrooms per advisory class. But this time we are also implementing
shifting classes. Due to an increased number of enrollments, our school head decided
to have a shifting class. I can say that there is a positive and negative impact on the
community. The positive feedback is that everyone can study at the school. The
negative impact is the time scheduled. The class started at 6:00 in the morning session
and ended at 12:00 pm. In the afternoon, classes started at 12:00 pm and ended at 5:30
pm. Some parents are murmuring about the time of classes' end. And vice versa in the
morning. They also commented on the early time in the morning session. Hopefully, the
DepEd will have a plan in place to address this issue.

5. Review K to 12 curriculum
Experts have been calling on the government to review the K to 12 curriculum
to include important issues that need to be discussed, especially in this age of social
media. For one, they said that media and information literacy should be taught, not only
under the senior high school program, but for lower grade levels as well – because
students as young as 7 years old are already attending online classes.

Answer:

For this part, they can include media and information literacy skills in children
who are seven years old or in first and second grade. Private schools can do this right
away. compared to public schools. Many parents are suffering from different problems,
such as financial problems, emotional problems, etc., especially after the pandemic.
Many of them are still unemployed, and others are ill. If it is implemented for both
private and public schools, the government should provide gadgets and loads to make it
happen. Many Filipino students are struggling. Others have no snacks, no pencils or
paper, and no clothes or uniforms for their studies. Their parents will not prioritize the
purchase of gadgets for the implementation of teaching media and information literacy
to their children. Of course, they will prioritize food and pay for electricity, housing, and
water.

Submitted by:

JUDITH P. VELARO

Checked by:

SOFIA D. TUMAMBING, EdD

Professor