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publicserviceannnouncement · 4 years

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A Call to Suspend Online Classes

1. Declarative Assertion. Education is included in the bill of rights as a basic human right; ergo, no person should be deprived of education. On that note, we strongly believe that online classes should be temporarily suspended as we all face the pandemic that is looming in our country and other parts of the world. Conducting online classes as a substitute for traditional education only benefit privileged students, and education should be available and accessible to everyone, not just the affluent minority.

2. Definition. Online class/learning is defined as education conducted over the internet. It uses a system or platform which students utilize to view their course syllabus and track their progress. Commission on Higher Education placed it under distance education defined in the RA 10650 as a mode of learning in which students and teachers are physically separated from each other. It is student-centered, guided independent study, making use of well-studied teaching and learning pedagogies to deliver well-designed learning materials in various media. It is also sometimes described as flexible learning and distributed learning.

3. Description/Instances. This type of class is considered as a back-up plan if face-to-face classes are not attainable at a certain time. In fact, many universities had conducted successful blended classes in the past years, including De la Salle University and other top universities in the Philippines. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic being direly present, students see online classes as arduous to attend given the situation of many of them, and the requirements needed to conduct it. What students are advised to have include a stable internet connection, and a computer/laptop as means to access their online class accounts. Without these requirements, students will never be able to check their respective online class platforms and activities inside the comforts of their home.

4. Description. As the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) advised schools to shift on e-learning class or online classes as a precautionary measure while we are still facing this pandemic (COVID-19), majority of the students find this ineffective due to several reasons.

5. Instances. Online classes prevent students from learning, for not everyone has the financial, physical, and mental capacity to attend to their academic obligations in the middle of a pandemic. Students who live in a place with limited to completely no internet connection cannot comply to their course requirements whether they like it or not, because spending money to buy food and other necessities rather than load for mobile data is much more practical for everyone, most especially those families who are under financial crisis. Students without proper internet connection and/or gadgets are being left behind with their lessons and assessments. These are not their fault as everything that is happening is way beyond of their control.

6. Statistics. Student governments from Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila, and University of Santo Tomas (UST) conducted a survey on the challenges faced by every student in managing online classes. A total of 2,340 teachers and students from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao responded to the survey, and the results are as follows: over 72% or 1,748 people agreed on the difficulty of understanding the lessons from online classes, 67% or 1,567 struggles due to their unstable internet connection, 64% struggles with large number of assessments, 43% were challenged with the strict guidelines such as attendance, and 22% lacks a computer or laptop to use in order to attend their respective course classes.

Based on the survey recently conducted by the College of Liberal Arts and Communication in De la Salle University-Dasmarinas, only 42% or 72 out of 170 students have a stable internet connection at home, while 51% struggles to use mobile data in accessing the school book meant for viewing lessons and finishing assessments, 3% and 4% of the respondents uses public Wi-Fi and internet cafes respectively.

7. Description. By now, students think that online classes and the assessments given were a mere requirement for students to pass, not its sole purpose of it, which is to learn and absorb the lessons handed down by their professors. This notion is supported by some professors and faculty members of various schools.

8. Testimonial. Jose Ramon Villarin, the president of Ateneo de Manila University, discerned the students’ difficulties in trying to conduct online classes, resulting to him handing down a memo to the Ateneans saying that the university will cancel its online classes in order to give leeway to students who are not able to access or have a hard time accessing the internet. As ADMU decided to cancel online classes, they also shortened the current semester and automatically pass all eligible students according to a letter released by Maria Luz C. Vilches, Ph.D., the Vice President for the Loyola Schools on 7th of April 2020. She also mentioned in the same letter that passing students is the “most humane way of dealing with student grades under the circumstances that we are in, where it is difficult and unfair to make a judgment of failure considering that students have not been given the benefit of a full semester to improve their performance.”

9. Testimonial. Aside from Ateneo de Manila University, Emmanuel A. Leyco, the University President of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, suspended the whole university’s online activities last March 18, 2020 to let the students, as well as the teachers, give more importance and priority to their health. Online classes of PLM are suspended until further notice by the same office. After a month and the pandemic still going about, PLM announced last April 22, 2020, that all students, will receive a passing grade for every subject during the pandemic. They have clearly understood the needs of their students, as well as the necessary steps to undertake for these people to cope up with the pandemic without compromising their education.

10. Example. Twitter netizen Franz Berdida voiced out his and his friend’s struggles on going up and down a mountain just to get a signal in order to accomplish an output for their finals despite the lack of streetlights in the area on a gloomy evening. In addition to this, he also experienced climbing a coconut tree for the same reason—to get a signal. They mentioned that risking doing these things are better than getting a failed mark on their report card.

11. Example. Another netizen, Maria, called out the suspension of online classes due to their unstable internet connection. Apparently, she was answering a 50-item exam when their connection was suddenly disrupted for 20mins, taking away her chance of finishing her exam. When Maria raised her concern to her professor, she was slammed with a rude reply stating, “ano gusto mo gawin ko” (what am I supposed to do). These are just some of the common occurrences to students who face difficulties of having a stable internet, if there even is, or signal to use for data connection.

12. Instances. The problem bothers not just the students, but also the professors. Going out of their houses just to either upload a lesson or an assessment, or submit their work is a risk they are taking just so they could comply and do their job.

13. Description. Aside from the challenges of having a stable internet connection and a pc/laptop to use, one reason as to why online classes should be suspended is because of the mental health of the students. Being put in an academic pressure under the pandemic where lives are at stake can damage one’s mental health.

14. Instances. Students and their families, in the midst of the pandemic, try their very best to survive one day at a time. Problems brought about by the enhanced community quarantine is already enough for many of them to experience stress and anxiety due to the lack of work, funds, and more, but some schools really have no consideration over these and still remain adamant on the continuous initiation of online classes adding more burden to the families of students, especially the impoverished ones. Some of them would completely disregard either their mental health in order accomplish their tasks, or their assessments as a way to cut off some of the problems they carry.

15. Testimonial. As mentioned by the National Union of Students of the Philippines, “to add academic stress to the pile would only make for a burden even more difficult to bear.” Not having the right mental capacity can lead students to abrogate their assessments; if they ever do it, it would be for the sake of passing and not for learning. This destroys the purpose of being enrolled in a school. Just like what Doris Yates mentioned, “if students wanted online classes, they would have registered for them and not be in the brick and mortar buildings.”

16. Example. An anonymous student submitted an entry in The UDM Files on Facebook, publishing a screenshot on a series of conversation he had with his classmate currently suffering depression because of his family’s situation, and the stress continuously given to him by the non-stop assessments being thrown at them. His mother and brother got the virus and was sent in the hospital while he stays at home, self-quarantining his self as he is considered as a person under monitoring during the time when the post was published. He’s been going through a lot, yet he cannot take a break from online classes as it is still required in their school.

17. Example. Jay, a netizen, also expressed her feelings online towards her worsening mental health due to everything that is happening in her life, including their online classes. Based on her post, she had been stuck in an “abusive household” for two months now, and her mental health is “seriously deteriorating” at this point.

Jay and this anonymous student’s story prove how online classes can be really detrimental to the mental health of students who are in extreme situations.

18. Restatement. Online classes would have been a good alternative to traditional education if everyone has the same socioeconomic status, however, this is only a dream we could hope for. The sad reality is that there are many students who go through distinct obstacles which challenges their capability to join online classes and accomplish their assessments. We stand for the suspension of online classes. Education should be inclusive to everyone.

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