NEWS | Modular learning non-sustainable, quality of current education system remains poor
By Melissa Allauigan
While Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones incessantly pushes that the widely-preferred modular learning is unsustainable, several groups claimed that this is an understatement when gauging the entire situation of the education sector. According to youth and peasant groups, distance learning as a whole is seen to be poorly implemented primarily due to the lack of funds, thereby inhibiting access to education and leaving more students behind.
Modular learning
Briones said in a press conference last Monday, January 25, that modular distance learning amid the pandemic is both non-sustainable and expensive. She also cited the learning type’s negative impact on the environment.
“This is also the most expensive way to transmit learning because we have 25 million learners. It is not sustainable. If we continue with this method of printed modules, then our forests might be gone, our trees as well, because these would be made into paper,” she explained.
Moreover, she stated that the series of storms that wreaked havoc on Luzon last November 2020 destroyed a whopping total of P1.6 billion worth of printed and distributed learning materials.
With this, she urged everyone to gradually utilize more technology in education and shift to online learning.
Deprived of quality education
Briones’ statement is similar to the one she voiced out back in September 2020 which was met with criticism by peasant group Amihan.
Amihan chairperson Zenaida Soriano said that cutting down trees should not be used as a reason to forcibly push for online learning since paper is recyclable. She added that DepEd should focus on the task at hand and ensure the availability and effectiveness of the modules so that the efforts of students, parents, and teachers are not wasted.
In spite of opposition from peasant families regarding online learning, they revealed that they still doubt over the effectiveness, accessibility, and learning quality of modular learning, the remaining modality for their children’s education.
The mothers, for example, are not confident in guiding their children due to their low educational attainment. Apart from this, they are also preoccupied with their livelihood and household chores.
Images of the learning modules also circulated on social media, as netizens criticized its multiple spelling, grammar, computation errors as well as problematic instances of gender stereotyping and fat-shaming. Briones insisted, however, that these should not be attributed to them because these were not published by DepEd’s central office, rather by its division and regional units.
Increasingly expensive
Before October 5, 2020 when classes for the school year 2020–2021 officially started, there were multiple reports of delays in printing of modules due to DepEd’s insufficient funding and limited supplies of bond paper. This supposedly caused the postponements for the opening of the school year which was originally scheduled on August 24, 2020.
Public school teachers were scrambling to print their learning materials on time that they shelled out their own money and organized donation drives to raise funds for printers and paper.
Economist and Senator Ralph Recto estimated that DepEd would need to print 93.6B pages for at least 21 million public schools for just one full academic year. These estimations are based on 20 pages per subject a week, eight subjects for 34 weeks, to be used by 17.026M out of 25M students.
Despite a gargantuan budget increase for 2021, teachers and several groups expressed their concern over its insufficiency. Data showed that the increases are only allocated for public school teachers’ salary and not so much for curriculum design, learning tools, instructional materials, and operations among others.
Online learning and dropouts
While modules are also supplemented with online discussions or consultations in distance learning, not all students are able to stay connected.
Access to the internet remains a huge issue, as a DepEd survey shows that only 6.5M students have connectivity. From this number, 20% use computer shops and other public places to go online. Worse, 2.8M students, majority of which are from the rural areas, have no access to the internet at all.
Burdened with the requirements and the additional expenses for gadgets and data, an increasing number of students are opting to drop out. Peasant parents have also chosen not to enroll their children due to economic incapacity and geographical constraints.
Meanwhile, Briones said in an online briefing that they did not receive any reports from their regional offices which show a ‘significant’ amount of dropouts.
Fake triumph?
The National Union of the Students of the Philippines (NUSP) recently denounced Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio’s claims regarding the triumph of distance learning.
According to NUSP National President Jandeil Roperos, it is evident that the DepEd is disconnected from the real situation of its educational stakeholders.
“Kung susuriing mabuti, sa pagbanggit na ang masalimuot na distance learning ay isa umanong tagumpay, tinatakasan ng Kagawaran ng Edukasyon ang pananagutan sa mga mag-aaral at binubura nila ang katotohanan na maraming estudyante at kaguruan ang sumuong sa mga buwis buhay na sitwasyon upang maipagpatuloy ang pag-aaral sa gitna ng pandemya,” Roperos said.
Ultimately, the NUSP maintained that genuine triumph will only be attained if the current approach to the pandemic is scientific and not militaristic, and when education is free and pro-student.
