Philippine Basic Education

While most K-12 schools in the United States have reopened to in-person classes this school year, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) tells us that about 140 million children are still waiting for their first day to attend school. Among countries that have not reopened schools is the Philippines. The country is currently facing a surge in COVID cases and vaccination has only reached seventeen percent of the population. Above copied from PhilStar A teacher's group in the Philippines, Teachers' Dignity Coalition , recently criticized the plans of the Department of Education to hold webinars for teachers: Most schools were closed last year and we do have plenty of lessons to learn regarding what is important in both teaching and learning. In an article, " Adapting and Enduring: Lessons Learned from International School Educators During COVID-19 ", published in the Journal of Research in International Education, these lessons are summarized: Technology Access ...

This school year is different from most years. Being ready for school is much more than just having the necessary school supplies and clothing. The COVID pandemic is still very much upon all of us. Without herd immunity, the spread of the coronavirus as schools reopen is highly likely. There are measures like requiring masks indoors but contingency plans are urgent as well. "What if?" is certainly an important question to consider. How we do things now tells a bit of how prepared we really are. Yesterday was the kickoff/open house at my son's high school and it happened with crowded corridors. My daughter's middle school also had an open house, but only for sixth grade students, thus, unlike in the high school, parents and students were not elbow to elbow. I am still scheduled to teach online at Georgetown University, as it is not possible to keep track of all students in a more than 100 person class in case contract tracing becomes necessary.  My son helping the Pare...

More than 1500 have signed a petition requesting Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to offer an option for virtual learning. The course I am scheduled to teach in a couple of weeks at Georgetown University is still tentatively on a remote platform. With FCPS parents, there are two reasons behind asking for online learning. Children younger than 12 years old are not vaccinated, and with full capacity, social distancing is not possible. Why I still have to teach online in a university stands on only one reason, lack of social distancing in a class of more than 100 students. There is in fact data that can help address how to keep students and instructors safe from the coronavirus. Data from more than a million students and more than a hundred thousand staff show that "With masking in place, full, in-person instruction – is appropriate for all grades and all schools" . Above copied from Change.org Data that indicate the effectiveness of wearing masks in schools have been provi...

They say, "It takes a village to raise a child". With the coronavirus pandemic, it takes the entire world to extinguish COVID cases. We are now just weeks before school starts and another wave of cases is imminent. Children have already missed more than a year of in-person schooling. The risk of school closures is once again with us in so many places in this world. It takes time to learn how we should address challenges. However, plenty of time have already passed and there is now clarity in what we must do. There are vaccines that are effective against this virus. We also know that wearing masks greatly curbs its transmission. Unfortunately, that is not the difficult part. What appears insurmountable is the fact that we all have to do our part. Above copied from MITMedical   The longer it takes for us to rise to this challenge, the greater the opportunity for the virus to mutate into a variant that can thrive even with vaccines. That, of course, brings us to an even more pre...

A failing basic educational system in the Philippines is no secret. International assessments clearly demonstrate this dire situation. Even the Philippines own national achievement test points to the fact that the educational system has worsened. A report from the World Bank is not really necessary to highlight this predicament. What is plainly imperative is for the Philippines administration to admit its dismal performance. Above copied from the Manila Times An educational system should be guided by science, by research, by assessments. Unfortunately, as in other fields of endeavor, there are charlatans. In addition, there are interests. The delivery of basic education, after all, is a giant enterprise. Thus, even when facts are clear, considerations outside of research become paramount. Thus, after the World Bank reports that "80% of Filipino children do not know what they should know", we see the following: Above copied from the World Bank Honestly, there are really no add...

"At sa pagdating ng aking paglisan, maaaring malimutan ng lahat ang aking mga ginawa, masama man o mabuti, subalit kung sa akin, ang aking mga nagawa para sa aking bayan ay mananatiling matamis na alaala." (After my time is over, people will forget what I've done, both the good and bad. This will not matter anyhow; but if only to myself, I will cherish the sweet memories of the things I've done for my town and my people.) -Emmanuel Cadayona COVID has taken so many lives. COVID has forced us to close schools. And today, I lost a dear friend to COVID. Emmanuel Cadayona, known to many as "Ka Noel", served his hometown as mayor for several terms. More than a decade ago, Ka Noel told me, "After my time is over, people will forget what I've done, both the good and the bad. This will not matter anyhow, but if only to myself, I will cherish the sweet memories of the things I've done for my town and my people. He inspired me to reach out to the elementar...

It is Teacher Appreciation Week. During normal times, we are definitely and extremely grateful to all teachers who have committed their best hours for the development and growth of our children. In these very challenging times, our hardworking teachers have done so much more. They continue to help feed children from low income families. They turn their classrooms into something virtual on a moment's notice. And when in-person instruction returns, teachers are asked to do the impossible, concurrent teaching, where some students are inside the classroom, while others choose to stay home. This week is our opportunity to show how much we appreciate these public servants. We cannot thank enough our hardworking teachers. As a token of appreciation, my spouse, with the school's parents and teachers association, provided breakfast to the teachers in the middle school my daughter attends. It is a small token for the outstanding effort our teachers have been giving during these times.  T...