COVID-19 crisis has led to the closure of almost 200 schools worldwide to contain the spread of the virus. With the suspension of face-to-face learning, the pandemic would have allowed us to utilize technology to reboot our educational system yet the number one issue that our government has faced was the slow internet connectivity all throughout the country. Thus, our government through the Department of Education was forced to adopt Modular Distance Learning (MDL) to ensure that there is continuity in our education amidst the pandemic.
The sudden shift of Philippine Education from face-to-face to modular distance learning, extremely affected not only the teachers and learners but as well as the parents. Home learning became a temporary substitute to conventional learning this pandemic. Parents had no other choice but to become the primary home facilitators even without enough trainings as proxy educators of learning.
During the conduct of the 5th Learning Action Cell (LAC) of Cataingan National High School-Science Department; the teachers have conducted a Focused Group Discussion (FGD). They have found out that the main reason most parents became reluctant in assisting their children while answering the modules is due to the lack of knowledge about the lessons found in the modules. They have difficulty understanding complex concepts especially in Science and Mathematics lessons. This is primarily because of the educational attainment they have and the gap in the curriculum being implemented. This impairs their ability to assist their children in answering the modules and learning activity sheets. Thus, greatly affects the academic performance of the children. With this, many parents became worried about the future of their children if face-to-face learning continues to be on hold.
Parents during the pandemic have become more stressed than before. Becoming proxy educators brought a lot of stress to them especially that they were not given any training on how to become a school mom or dad at homes. This sometimes causes parents to opt on paying someone to answer their children’s modules and learning activity sheets. This is an alarming scenario that needs to be addressed immediately for it deviates from the main goal of education in this time of the pandemic. That is why, different coping strategies that help the parents ease the overwhelming burden in this pandemic are being implemented. Their constant communication with the teachers using various modes of communication has helped a lot in addressing learning difficulties. Their regular attendance during meetings allowed them to see the progress of their children and provide an opportunity both for them and the teachers to talk over learning process challenges and possible solutions. The time for the distribution and retrieval of modules also serve as an opportunity among parents to ask for feedback on the performances of their children and ask for clarifications in the modules and learning activity sheets given to the learners. Tapping relatives, friends and neighbors who have ideas about certain topics in the modules is also another way of mitigating the burden among parents in giving assistance to their children while learning at home.
Both teachers and parents worked hard together to provide meaningful and lifelong learning among learners despite the challenges being faced in this pandemic. Parent’s role is vital to education especially during this time of crisis. Indeed, parents and teachers are partners in molding and developing the citizens that will comprise the future generation of leaders.