Answer:
More than 1.5 billion students and young learners globally are affected by school and university closures due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Schools have remained closed for weeks, and no one knows for certain when we will come out of the lockdowns, as the pandemic shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
In the Philippines, the Covid-19 crisis has affected about 27 million learners, 1 million teachers and non-teaching staff, as well as the families of learners.
The Department of Education (DepEd) recently announced that classes for the next school year would begin on Aug. 24, 2020. Classes may start earlier, but there will be no physical return to school. DepEd is offering schools a menu of alternative learning methods that includes online learning and offline methods, such as take-home readings and activities.
The disruption caused by Covid-19 has forced the adoption of online learning in schools. Teacher training is a major consideration that would require schools to readjust their budget allocation in order to respond to this emerging need. Online teaching involves a lot of preparation, and teachers now find themselves having to use tools they are not familiar with. For sure, there will be adjustments.
Over the past decade, online education has emerged as an innovative teaching and learning method. Learners of all ages use this method, from working adults who want to continue their studies while on the job to parents enrolling their kids to help them learn new things. The same is true for those who cannot continue their studies due to medical conditions or disabilities. Today, such learners can continue their education with a range of distance learning options.
Countless research devoted to the benefits of online education suggests that online learning is as good as face-to-face classroom learning. The advantages of online learning include flexibility and self-paced learning, lower costs, improved virtual communication and collaboration, better time management, refined critical thinking skills and new technical skills.
So what will our schools look like beyond Covid-19?
With the new school year being postponed—calling students to stay home and encouraging schools to use online learning platforms—an alternative way of teaching and learning has emerged.
Online education as an imperative for institutions
Online teaching and learning is going to be more regular and teachers must be prepared to teach online. Online learning is not new. What is new is that schools are embracing it as vital to how the next generation of learners are taught.
In a world where disasters and disruptions are increasingly becoming the norm, it is imperative for schools and universities to train teachers on how to teach online and to encourage them to devote their time to teaching online at least as a drill mechanism to prepare for unexpected events. It is not just about the pandemic we are experiencing right now. Other events, such as
