DOCUMENTARY REPORT: CSO-FP assists Distance learning education to poor students in Linamon, Lanao del Norte during pandemic.

 

Ruby Ann Silaya (right standing), Staff teacher volunteer with the students in Napo, Linamon, Lanao del Norte.

 

BY JUN ENRIQUEZ

(President, Manggagawang Media ng Mindanaw - MMM)

             Presently, we have just enjoyed the privilege that our children resumed the face-to-face classes in school nationwide from August this year with the able leadership of our country’s Education Secretary and Vice President Sarah Duterte, under the current Marcos Administration. Global pandemic was very challenging not only in our country but globally caused by SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19), the so called severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 affecting primarily the education sector, disturbed the lives of many learners and students in the Philippines since March 2020

            The Philippine Government has not allowed the face to face classes for two years since 2020 because most areas of the country still have high active cases of COVID-19. But the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) believed that the pandemic is not a hindrance to having access to quality education and learning must continue despite the situation.

            Concerning to this, the government implemented the “new normal” strategy of education which is “distance learning” where students are not allowed to go to school for face-to-face classes, but they will be given modules to answer in the comfort of their homes. Some of the schools enforced having online classes to reach out to the students during this academic year of the pandemic.

            As of the call of President Duterte in the new normal education system that “Together, let us work to achieve a more informed and enlightened, inspired citizenry, starting with our children,” he said. Further, President Duterte said, the pandemic also helps us realize to strive harder and make advance strategies to have a better education amidst of this trying times.

            In response to this call, the Civil Society Organization Forum for Peace (CSO-FP), in partnership with DXRC – Freedom Radio 91.5 FM, in Linamon, Lanao del Norte, Department of Education (DepED), supported by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) – Civil Peace Service (CPS), conducted a program to help the poor students to understand the distance learning education, using the learning episodes from the community radio broadcast, social media and modular learning processes, specifically in the 8 Barangays of Linamon, namely: Napo, Larapan, Samburon, Magoong, Poblacion, Robocon, Bosque and Purakan.

            Just to emphasized that the role of the DepEd is to produce episodes of topics to be aired in the community radios in Iligan City and Lanao del Norte to be listened by the public, especially, the students for the Elementary and High schools, as part of the distance learning process.

            I was reminded by Mr. Renato Abreu, administrative officer of CSO-FP said that this project aims to aid the large difficulty faced by our education system due to the presence of pandemic COVID-19. This project fall under the core values of CSO-FP, the intergenerational capacity for better citizenry, to prevent the children for a possible recruitment by the violent extremist group in nearby places.

            But the problem does not end with this “new normal” education system. It’s worrisome that most of the students have no access to internet connection and gadgets for online classes especially the poorest of the poor students. Some students have encountered difficulties of understanding the modules given to them, because the parents didn’t have enough knowledge to understand the modules, and help their children of teaching them due to lack of educational attainment for reasons of poverty situation. Mostly of the parents finished Elementary education and only few of them graduated from High school education.

Support Staff teachers-volunteers

            The program has 8 volunteer teachers assigned in the 8 villages or barangays of Linamon, directly connecting to the poorest of the poor students and assisted them per barangay to at least 5 Elementary students with preference from grades 1-3 for basic elementary education and 5 High school students with preference from grades 8-10 which is basic for a college education. A total of at least 80 students coming from the poor families living in poverty were beneficiaries of the project, “Distance learning education assistance to poorest of the poor students.” The project started in November 2020 and ended in May 2021, with a duration time good for 6 months. During this period, health protocol was very strictly observed given by the government.

             During project site visitation, Ruby Ann Silaya, one of the staff teacher volunteers assigned in barangay Napo said that children students under her care were very responsive during sessions. Sometimes high school students will be absent to help their parents’ work of their livelihood for family survival for the day.

            In a statement from Rosalie Baclay, the mother of Mark Khalil Baclay, grade 2 elementary student, said, “I’m thankful to the CSO-FP and GIZ for having this project, because it is a big help for us, the parents, of teaching the modules for our children, it’s because we don’t have enough capacity to teach them in terms of knowledge and time element.” In addition, the boy, Mark Khalil in his response said, “I’m happy with teacher Ruby Ann because she taught me everything and I’ve already learned how to read and answering the module, and count my money.”

            In another situation, students from other barangays have the same problems in common, especially High school students said, that before the project came to a help, they encountered many problems of answering their modules turned into a headaches, because their parents have had no enough knowledge to teach them of their modules. That’s why during weekly submission of their modules some test questions remain unanswered, especially in the subjects of Mathematics, Science and English. These problems also revealed by the parents as the most worrying concerns during the conversation meetings.

            However, when the project came to assists the poorest of the poor students on distance learning, it brings the essential capacities for the students to address all the problems encountered from past situation. That’s why in unison, the students and the parents were very thankful with utmost appreciation for the project because on the part of the students, they can already managed of answering their modules even the project will no longer exists.

            It may recall that the Philippine government implemented the distance learning education through the Department of Education (DepED) has started in August 2020. Two years later, in August 2022, the face-to-face learning classes resumed as the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down, but health protocols still strictly observed, especially the fully vaccinated children will only be accepted in schools upon enrollment.

            My congratulations to the students for doing their best to learn from a distance with the cooperation of the parents and encouraged their children to actively participate in the project, “Distance learning education assistance to poorest of the poor” to overcome problems in education during the pandemic period.