The Arena of the New Normal in Education Amidst the CoVID-19 Pandemic: An Article Review on

Leony Garcia’s “Challenges and Opportunities in Education Under the New Normal”
By Anna Mary A. Gintoro,
from grade 11-Humanities and Social Sciences, Section-A

I. Introduction

In the article of Leony Garcia, the main claim seems to be clearly stated in
the title “Challenges and opportunities in education under the new normal.” One of the
most current public health predicaments of the worldwide concern is the recent COVID-
19 pandemic, which started in China and infected every nation in the entire world. As of
this time, the quantity of deaths is still growing worldwide. Thus, the new normal in
education and strengthening educational planning and health is a concern to deliver a
high quality, comprehensive, and accessible education for every student. Hence, the
new education system can have significant impacts in learners’ lives as students and
they may confront trials and chances. The new education system of the Philippines can
affect one’s relationship with the real truth of studying, the education sector may
confront with difficulties in supporting students who may be struggling to cope with
education’ new normal, and how learners are going to adapt with the new education
system due to their status in life (such as lack of guidance from parents, depression,
etc.); whereas a chance to uplift the current dilemmas is by means of nation’s
cooperation and taking pandemic as an opportunity with efforts of social institutions
(such as families, religions, schools, etc.) and students’ fortitudes.

II. Summary
In the article, "Challenges and Opportunities in Education Under the New
Normal," writer Leony Garcia considers that education in the time of pandemic is a vital
thing for students, but the threats and reimbursements across education with other
factors (such as socio-economic and public health factors in a general perspective) was
the reason behind the postponement of the class openings for school year 2020-2021.
Another important idea that Garcia discusses is that most discussions of the
new normal in education are with respect to "potential consequences of the education
under new normal, as well as the technical and vocational students’ journey", and
hence she wants to discuss how school educators as part of education sectors provide
support and establish an outline of methods to help students. She supports this latter
idea by specifying that "prolonged closures" of schools disrupt essential school-based
services and students’ social routines.
The author also provides examples of statements whose source is from an
online platform or Internet and personal comments of education sector-related people
in order to show how education under the new normal gives challenges and
opportunities to all in a variety of situations in this time of pandemic.
Another important point made by Garcia is that state governments and social
institutions should prioritize the essence of education particularly during this time, not
to oppose all educational approaches, methods, and choices to take actions with.
Garcia's target audience is all Filipino students, social institutions, and the
Philippine government, as it is likely that either they are unaware of the opportunities
that can take during these times for the sake of education in general, or they are aware
of the risks and consequences behind all opposition for the new education system if
education did not take its existence during these difficult times in every aspect but have
not considered how it applies specifically when coping up with challenges brought by
the pandemic.
Thus, this review material relates to the current article material because it comes
after the depth-in analysis and during the reading comprehension process to interpret
the topic’s whole core: when the most catastrophic pandemic dominated its presence,
many people under education sectors worldwide feared its potential threats to the
safety and lives of many students and families, but people regained again their
consciousness of reality which have led to formulate positive solutions: cooperation of a
state’s general institutions and government, as well as the students and people’ positive
approaches and determinations as Technical and vocational students and institutions
hone their skill and knowledge to adapt modern-day practices, even by doing these
things might feel uncomfortable for them at first.
Meanwhile, the main drive of this article review are to present and explain the
true importance of education in the time of pandemic with its many positive chances for
responding problems, difficulties and drifts that are now ascending and will arise in the
future due to COVID-19 pandemic over the line of education in the Philippines under
the new normal, as well to encourage readers and writers to promote the essence of
education to find our true selves despite of many surrounding, current catastrophe
brought by the CoVID-19 pandemic.

III. Review
The writer discussed an important topic, as education under the new normal
continues to attempt to improve retention efforts and certain flaws that they had
explicitly expressed in the very first existence of CoVID-19 pandemic.
First, this implies that pandemic guides in a “new” normal, in which it applies
new ways of functioning and learning for all people. It powers education more into
renewal view of approaching it, a development already well in progress, fueled by the
state government, social institutions, and many people’s preliminary negative
viewpoints into an open cooperation and social order and the reigning mental and
psychosocial support, methodologies, and public information were given to all until now.
This notes that many institutions had negative insights related to the very first
existence of CoVID-19 pandemic in education, but the outbreak of Covid-19 has meant
that changes, challenges, and prospects are intended to happen during these times.
Secondly, considering Garcia’s explanation on the effects of CoVID-19 in
education under the new normal, as well as the prolonged closures of schools due to
the pandemic, if education was not considered, the learning process of students may
have gone and they are less likely to return again to education’s embrace. This is one of
the visible faces of the immediate changes taking place in society—the people, the
pandemic, society—and schools. Therefore, the only direct solution to the closure of
schools is distance learning, with platforms flourishing and knowledge relegated to
information to be substituted as my point of view in related to the writer’s idea.
 Finally, such changes during these times are not only coterminous with the
pandemic, as the Education 2030 Agenda (UNESCO 2015b) stated; preceding that was
the Delors Report (Delors 1996), which recoded education as lifelong learning that
included learning to know, learning to do, learning to be, and learning to live together.
Thus, freezing the presence of education is not a correct solution to solve the existence
of pandemic, but is the right decision to select in order for us rise and stand up against
difficulties and challenges whether caused by or not by the current world invader: The
CoVID-19 pandemic. Untouched by the pandemic, the “new (old) normal” remains
based on disciplinary knowledge and enmeshed in the discourse of standards and
accountability in education.
Education, as what Garcia stated, by the absence of it, all concerning dilemmas
may increase and totally attain its worst state. Thus, Filipinos and all other nations
should cooperate with each other, use this time of pandemic as an opportunity to learn,
work for the great goal, and fight for the things that will contribute to the attainment of
better future ahead of mankind. This also works by enabling learners of all ages to
cognize that these are global, not local issues and to become active advocates of more
peaceful, lenient, comprehensive, safe and sustainable societies.
Additionally, according to my point on the article’s entire data, the new normal
type of education calls for higher elasticity in curriculum development, and for the need
to leave space for curricula analysis and vision at the level of educators and learners, as
well as the whole nation. Active and effective knowledge becomes more central, due to
the influence of economic foyers, thus certifying that the logic of the fair is brought into
the practices of schools for education.
Moreover, as I have observed the writer’s insights and the nature of her
knowledge is new: what matters is that it makes the action, its effect and its
understanding, not the negative effects of pandemic in the process of educating
oneself; whereas, her data functionality also follows data and confirmation-based
management, as well as her argumentative way of organizing her article’s main ideas
and proof of statements from certain institutions and people related to education
sectors worldwide. However, Garcia did not provide an additional key information about
some potential, specific ways to improve education during these times of pandemic in
her article. This lack of detail would make it difficult to gain positive insights from her
article’s core in order to further expand the article inquiry on this kind of writing piece.
Therefore, the writer should consider the importance of keeping a list of additional
ideas, most particularly some specific ways in order for any possible problems involve
in the article for the readers to obtain positive and effective advices and solutions
from the writing.

IV. Conclusion
The education sector of the Philippines is indeed one of the highly affected
part by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Philippines, where there are still a growing
COVID-19 contagions as of now, this article review presented some of the new normal
situation in the school setting. Despite of many posed challenges and opportunities
along the way, education is the most significant human right which is the key to the
development of countries, even during these times. When children cannot go to school
and educate themselves, people know that the future ahead of them is uncertain.
However, even when they do attend school, sometimes there are inadequate
assurances that they will be able to attain the informative skills required by 21st century
society as Technical and vocational students, institutions, and even, all the learners are
also affected by the current pandemic. So, education sectors like schools at all levels,
therefore, need to address certain concerns about students’ problems, not by means of
prolonged school closures, and wisely evaluate plans and measures on the
implementation of the new normal. Cooperation with fortitude is the most important
factor at these difficult times. Thus, we should help form the post COVID-19 education,
moving to the new normal.
Meanwhile, within the new normal, the situation presents an irreplaceable trial to
every both learners and educational leader’s decision-making processes. Henceforth, to
withstand the acceptance of the delivery of a high quality type of educational
instruction to every school, this article review presents chances, additional key
understanding, and advices for responding concerns, complications and drifts that are
arising and will arise in the future due to COVID-19 pandemic that will benefit the way
on how learners should embrace the importance of education during these times of
difficulties, the process on how educators including all education sectors and state
governments should set strategies and methods to fully support and maintain social
order within societies wherein learners are educating themselves, and the importance of
families, most particularly the presence of guidance and full human dimension support
of whether parents or guardians to their children’s education.
Additionally, the writer recommends that the opportunity and challenges
presented should be grasped and taken a serious concern. The challenge herewith is on
how to provide and deliver quality education amidst exceptional times, like the COVID-
19 pandemic, and on what extent are we going to become prepared when another
crisis comes in the future. Therefore, despite the fact that The COVID-19 pandemic has
forced the Philippine education sector not only to promote its competences for distant
learning, but more significantly, to realize that it could hardly subsist without the social,
economic, and political problems of the country being resolved. It also looks as an
alleging head on into a crisis with these problems as gear would require Filipino
students to take charge of their education, since their own families and teachers can
only do so much to help them. However, there is no need to leave these students alone
to fend for themselves. Rather, a chance presents itself: to gather learners together
into small societies – societies of knowledge and inquiry – with the help of all people’s
collaboration of efforts. With the new plans being developed and strategies re-
established, the direction now seems to point to the possibility of nurturing societies of
knowledge and inquiry through distance education, if possible, using virtual networks.
In the end, it will be noteworthy for future article writers to look into how the
community of inquiry and educational framework under the new normal can best help
students from the Philippines as well as students from other developing and poor
countries to achieve quality education through state governments, social institutions,
and students’ determination and cooperation, not only by means technology-aided
mediations.
Moreover, this article review will serve as a reference for future article studies
related to responding COVID-19 crisis for the educational sector, particularly in the
Philippine context. Thus, future studies should recommend such as planning and
implementation strategy, assessing distance learning systems to schools, a survey on
online platforms, project proposals and capstone projects, program creation, community
assessments, revision of curricula, development of instructional materials and many
more alternatives to help all readers and writers divert all difficulties in understanding
the current education under the new normal, as well as having a list of insights on the
benefits of this current pandemic to many lives.

Online References:

1. Delors J. Learning: The treasure within. Paris: UNESCO; 1996. [Google Scholar]
2. UNESCO (2015b). Education 2030. Framework for action. Paris:
UNESCO. https://www.sdg4education2030.org/sdg-education-2030-steering-
committee-resources.

URL of the chosen online article:

3. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/08/24/challenges-and-opportunities-in-
education-under-the-new-normal/
STATE ORGANIZATION IN BARANGAY POBLACION ILAWOD:

Barangay peace and order committee

NON-STATE ORGANIZATION IN BARANGAY POBLACION ILAWOD:

St. Nicolas De Tolentino Church (social institution-religion)