ANG SIGAW KO'Y,
"ACADEMIC FREEZE NOW!"
isinulat ni Endee (loveisnotrude)

Malaki ang papel na ginagampanan ng pandemya kaya masasabi kong ibang-iba na ang takbo ng sistema ng edukasyon ngayon kung ikukumpara natin ito noon. Kung noon, nakapapasok pa tayo sa eskwelahan para makapag-aral; ngayon, hindi na natin ito magawa sa kadahilanang may nagbabantang virus na maaaring makaapekto sa ating kalusugan — virus na siyang naging daan upang mapunta tayo sa flexible learning o online class setting.

Simula't sapul, hindi na ako pabor sa desisyon ng Kagawaran ng Edukasyon na gawing alternatibong solusyon ang online class habang hindi pa puwedeng ipatupad ang face-to-face dahil nga sa kinahaharap nating pandemya. Yes, online learning is still learning. In my opinion, traditional class and online class don't have much difference, at least for theoretical knowledge. We can learn in both ways thus saving time. However, online class is very disadvantageous especially here in the Philippines. Remember that ours is a developing country and lots of (if not most) families here could not afford it. That's why it is anti-poor to implement online class nationwide.

Bukod pa rito, ang elitist din ng dating nito para sa akin. Because not all students have the same learning resources, mentally and physically stable, and have homes that are conducive for learning. Hindi rin ibig sabihin na nasa bahay lang ang mga estudyante ay hawak na nila ang kanilang mga oras — that's actually a misconception.

Ang sabi pa, education is everyone's right but look how really anti-poor it is, letting only those who can afford can continue and those who can't will be left behind. Forcing curriculums to adapt to an online class format is not sitting to me right. We need compassion more than ever, to make sure no student gets left behind. Kaya sa tingin ko talaga ay hindi quality education ang makukuha sa online classes o blended education na pinu-push nila.

Imagine, to keep up, we need to have a stable internet connection and a mid-range to high-range laptop.

So, stop romanticizing students' resiliency. Because clearly, our education remains commercialized and exclusive. Most of us are genuinely trying our best to adapt and adequately perform in (online) class despite the pandemic. It's just that this entire setup is intrinsically anti-poor—a problem that could not be solved by resilience or faith.

Dahil sa totoo lang, wala naman itong magandang naidulot sa aking sarili kundi stress at anxiety. Exhaustion and depression slowly eating me up. Lack of sleep or rest makes me even more weaker, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally too.

We actually aren't learning anymore.

Nag-aaral na lang kami para sa grades. Nag-aaral na lang kami para pumasa. Nag-aaral na lang kami para maka-graduate.

At sana ma-realize din ng mga nakatataas ang struggle na aming kinahaharap.

This is an everyday fight against ourselves and our emotions while being isolated in our homes. Yet we still have to be a "responsible" students. And we aren't just a student, we also have responsibilities inside our homes.

Online class just created an environment wherein educators, learners, and parents were forced to submit into an anti-poor idea. Amidst worsening pandemic, the Comission of Higher Education or CHED says, "This will be part of the new normal." And to claim that flexible learning is the "new normal" is to accept the unacceptable. The reality is better off explained by students who currently suffer, not by bureaucrats who mindlessly impose.

Kaya naman ang sigaw ko kasama ng iba pang mag-aaral ay, "Academic freeze now!"

***

A/N: The winners for "May Sigaw Ang Iyong Salita" writing contest has been announced and sadly, my entry didn't win this time! Pero ayos lang kasi it's been a while na rin since the last time I wrote an essay and I had fun writing my entry. Kudos pala sa team na bumubuo nitong Write-A-Thon Challenge kasi they kept on giving us prompts na talaga namang challenging---at nakatutuwa na hindi lang táyo nakakulong sa "fiction writing".

Anyway, thank you for this certificate:

Grabe talaga ang effort! I really appreciate it! To you who's reading this, kindly check the winning entries for this contest. Nabasá ko ang mga ito at lahat magaganda saka deserving talaga sa pagkapanalo! :D

Ayon, manatiling healthy, safe, at hydrated!

See you on next month's theme!

XO,
Endee