Author:  Bonz Magsambol

Published: September 5, 2020

Summarization: 

As the education system shifted to the digital platform because of the pandemic, a group of teachers trooped to the gates of the House of Representatives due to the lack of funding for the education system in our country. Due to the pandemic, it has exposed many more flaws of the system in the Philippines, it is stated that at least 4 million students are at risk for their education because of the lack of funding. According to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers or ACT the P606.5 billion budget can not suffice to support the needs of both students and teachers. All students must be provided with a working gadget and connection to be able to attend their remote classes. It is also important for the staff to get tested for COVID-19 and be granted sick leaves but because of lack of funding it would be hard to achieve this. Moreover, the Department of Education has also declared that there is no budget for those staff who contract COVID-19. It is important for the schools to be “both resilient and responsive to the disease outbreaks according to the ACT and this is why they have made demands for a higher budget for the education system. 

Link: https://www.rappler.com/nation/teachers-seek-bigger-2021-education-budget-coronavirus-pandemic/

Author: Alexis Romero

Published: January 18, 2022

President Rodrigo Duterte improved the continuation and expansion of face to face classes in Alert Level 2 in the Philippines in collaboration with the local government and parents and guardians. Briones proposed that the implementation of face-to-face classes will resume not earlier than the first week of February because of the areas still under alert level 3. The DepEd is working with the Department of Health to decide on the implementations for the expansion of face-to-face classes. According to Briones, the responsibility will be shared within the local governments and it is important to have consent from the guardians and not only that, only those who are vaccinated are able to participate in the face-to-face classes. In addition, in previous pilot runs for face-to-face classes it was deemed “highly successful” with high percentage of attendance and no recorded transmission of Corona cases. The DepEd is confident to expand and continue limited face-to-face classes. 

Link: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/01/18/2154780/duterte-approves-depeds-proposal-expanded-face-face-classes

Author: Bonz Magsambol

Published: February 2, 2022

Summarization: 

Following the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte and the successful first phase of face to face classes in the Philippines, the DepEd decided to allow more schools to reopen as quarantine restrictions eases to alert level 2. Metro Manila will allow 118 schools, for Cagayan Valley 12 schools, Central Luzon 106 schools, Calabarzon will have 57 schools, and for Eastern Visayas there will be 16 schools participating. All the previous schools who were part of the first trial will resume as well. According to DepEd, the list of schools should increase depending on the results but no list of schools has been released yet. The first phase of the three way plan to reopen schools for face-to-face classes was started last year from November to December, now this expansion phase is the second stage in reopening the schools. 

Link:

Author: Kristine Joy Patag

Published: September 23, 2020

Summarization: 

To guarantee the safety of minors from abuse and inappropriate content, the Department of Justice had issued rules for how to conduct online learning. Abuse and inappropriate content within the students may include the vulnerability of students to offensive outsiders and negative online content, as well as the loss of privacy, provision, and moral standing of digital information. That’s why the Department of Justice has instructed every Educational Institution to follow the rules they have made which are used for the protection of students during online learning. This is also to comply with the Rules and Regulations according to the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA10173). The Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued guidelines such as individually accepting each participant's request to join, offering participants with a common naming procedure, and starting the meeting with the video camera and audio of the participants switched off and preventing the meeting's desktop/screen sharing feature for those who have not been assigned as meeting hosts.

Link: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/09/23/2044599/doj-issues-guidelines-protect-children-during-online-classes 

Author:  AC Nicholls

Published: July 7, 2021

The education subsidy was called the Bayanihan 2 for Higher Education Tulong Program (B2HELP) by CHED, and it gave each eligible student PhP5,000 to put towards their outstanding amounts. However, in its financial statement, the Commission on Audit (COA) reported that in 2020, CHED only spent 40.61 percent of the whole authorization, or 1.3 billion pesos. The majority of the funding was set aside for state universities and colleges (SUCs) to help them establish smart communities by supplying economic and technical assistance. As of December 31, 2020, COA estimates that 26.2 million pesos of an overall expenditure of about P71.3 million are still unaccounted for. This subsidy that the government has implemented has changed the funding priority of the educational sector which made them use a strategic way of looking at the area of how they will utilize the Bayanihan 2 for Higher Education Tulong Program (B2HELP). 

Link:https://www.cnn.ph/news/2021/7/7/CHED-COA-slow-spending-online-learning.html 

Author:Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco 

Published: September 2, 2020

Summarization: 

According to the article, the age that was suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization should be considered by schools in the Philippines when adjusting their screen time during online learning. DepEd suggested that Kindergarteners should have a maximum of one hour of screen time per day during online classes; Grades 1 to 5 should have a maximum of 1.5 hours; Grades 6 to 8 should not exceed 2 hours; and Grades 9 to 12 should have a maximum 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon of online class. However, for those schools that were shut down due to the pandemic, they would be given the “Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of Learning Delivery Modalities for Formal Education” according to DepEd Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio.  

Link: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/09/02/deped-sets-recommended-screen-time-for-online-students/ 

Author: Carmina S. Dalida et al.

Published: 2018

Summarization:.A goal of education that needs to be achieved is to make students realize the importance of applying what they learn in their daily lives. Enhancement of the students' conceptual understanding, the development of awareness, and concern for the environment is what environmental education is about. This article uses a community-based approach in learning environmental science for senior high school students. The mixed method approach was used in this study, which was done through quasi-experimental design and qualitative analysis of the students' written responses to open-ended questions. Two groups of students have participated in this study: (I) the traditional learning group and; (II) the community-based learning group. Results revealed an improved academic performance based on the gain score analysis wherein the community-based learning group had a statistically significant higher achievement than the traditional learning group. Positive environmental attitudes were used and observed during the educational program. More positive environmental attitudes and better learning was observed by the students thanks to the community. Moreover, this approach provides an opportunity for personal and social growth, and the development of one's sense of responsibility and accountability.

Author: Gilbert C. Magulod Jr

Published: February 2018

Summarization:Due to the problem of climate change during the 21st century, the students are the hope of the country since they are the people who are aware and are able to make a change for the better. The study assessed the climate change awareness and the environmental attitude of undergraduate students of Cagayan State University at Lasam, Philippines.  It employed descriptive   correlational research design. The participants of the study were the 180 undergraduate students (n=180) randomly sampled from the three college departments of CSU-Lasam. Descriptive statistics such as mean and percentage were used while inferential statistics such as independent sample t-test, one way ANOVA and Pearson r were used to analyze the data gathered from the respondents using two sets of standard survey questionnaires. Hypotheses of the study were rejected at 0.1 and 0.5 levels of significance. Results of the study revealed that the respondents have high level of climate change awareness and   environmental attitude. Response and opinions were different based on age, college department, and other factors. Higher awareness is what will lead students to make a change and be motivated to spread awareness and information.

image: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcsu.edu.ph%2Fcampus-lasam&psig=AOvVaw2Usl0WT19C_gK3x-V4-Nl8&ust=1644128641861000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0Q3YkBahcKEwiY4azQ9uf1AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAw

Author: Christopher Lloyd Caliwan

Published: January 31, 2020

Summarization: The Department of Education’s (DepEd) Taguig and Pateros (TaPat) division aimed to develop a project where students watch and guide their parents or guardians in proper garbage disposal, segregation and reduction. Taguig City’s education czar Dr. George Tizon said the project, dubbed as the "Bantay-Magulang" Waste Management Project, was based on the division's Memorandum 13, series of 2020, or the Waste Management Program, which has been integrated in the schools' homeroom class as part of the students' elective subjects. It was aimed to help the students and their families practice  Waste Management on a daily basis. The children were asked to guard their families and report to the teacher what they had observed and they are asked to do this till the families help full compliance 

Author: Arlon P. Cadiz, Antriman V. Orlean

Published: October 20, 2020

Summarization: To summarize one of the article’s components titled “Economic Landscape in Philippine Basic Education”, the improvement of a country’s educational system was emphasized since this was said to be reflected in the country’s economy. The importance of education lies in increasing the amount of human capital available, productivity, and output. It is also important in an evolving economic environment where a rapid rate of job destruction and job creation may cause a gap between the skills demanded in the labor market and the skills of job-seekers. Arturo Bris, the director of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) conducted a study that showed that the Philippines’ ability to provide the economy with the skills needed had deteriorated, which is a result of a mismatch between school curriculums and the demands of companies. Despite education being one of the key determinants of economic growth, economic-related issues like financial constraints make it difficult for students to buy school materials or support projects and activities that need money, and are even the primary reasons for students to drop out of school. All of these points to the conclusion that the Philippines should achieve a higher-quality education system to create an educated population and to reap the economic benefits.

Link:

https://www.feu.edu.ph/index.php/institutes/institute-of-education/asian-journal-on-perspectives-in-education/ajpe-volume-1-issue-1/social-technology-economy-environmental-and-political-steep-landscapes-in-philippine-k-to-12-basic-education-looking-into-the-lens-and-perspective-of-science-education/  

Author: Nymia Pimentel Simbulan

Published: June 4, 2020

Summarization:

This article first explains the scenario of COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines and Governmental Response in which the imposition of an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) as a preventive measure for the spread of the virus meant that many higher education institutions (HEIs) had to adjust to the new normal and create online teaching and learning modalities wherein electronic devices and reliable Internet connections were required. However, these requirements became unsustainable because of uneven socioeconomic status, making online classes difficult for many students. This, among other challenges were addressed with the bayanihan spirit or collective community mobilisation through distributions of face masks, face shields and personal protective equipment for frontliners; creating training activities and mentoring sessions about biosafety, infectious diseases, and psychosocial first aid and support for students and faculty; providing support and resources for healthcare workers, food producers and distributors, and other essential workers and many more. The changing social, economical, political, and environmental realities were emphasized during the pandemic which is why HEIs need to take the lead in adapting to these changes, addressing the imposed unsustainable conditions, and creating growth and development for our nation and global community.

Link: https://headfoundation.org/2020/06/04/covid-19-and-its-impact-on-higher-education-in-the-philippines/ 

Author: Jacqueline Miranda

Published: December 23, 2020

The Department of Education (DepEd) has announced that it has dispatched a total of 3,890 tablet units to the local government of the province as part of its directive to assist learners in the transition to online learning systems following safety restrictions set in place due to the pandemic. The education sector is among those widely affected by pandemic restrictions. To help address this challenge, officials from the local government continue to push for a more efficient gadget-based learning system as an alternative to face-to-face classes.The lack of laptops and other gadgets that can be used for virtual classes is a shared struggle among students and teachers. To help students and teachers, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones earlier said that the department will use its additional funds to provide gadgets and computers to schools and students as it implements a distance learning programme. 

Link: https://opengovasia.com/students-in-the-philippines-receive-gadgets-for-virtual-classes/ 

Author: Merlina Hernando-Malipot

Published: October 6, 2020

The unstable internet connection remains the main problem of teachers, students and parents in distance learning. An official of the Department of Education (DepEd) assured that the agency continues to find ways to address the existing and emerging concerns in the implementation of blended learning this school year but said that Internet connectivity problems are beyond its control. Some teachers and students encountered Internet connection problems for their online classes – one of the alternative learning modalities under distance learning. “Internet problem is not just a problem in the Philippines but it’s also a problem globally,” DepEd Undersecretary and spokesperson Annalyn Sevilla said. While DepEd recognizes that having an Internet connection is “one big factor in education but right now,” she noted that DepEd is adopting a blended learning approach this year. DepEd acknowledges that slow Internet connection is indeed a problem “but for education, we need to continue and we need to do something that we can do, and that’s the modular approach.”

Link: https://mb.com.ph/2020/10/06/internet-connection-problems-beyond-our-control-deped/ 

Author: Bonz Magsambol 

Published: October 22, 2020 8:01 AM PHT

Summarization: The mental health issues students experience during distance learning are due to an "Interplay" of factors, said one of the country's top psychiatrists, who added that such issues cannot be solely attributed to the difficulties of the revamped education system. Citing cases of her patients, Rifareal said that while some students see distance learning as a source of stress, it also enables them to be better in their studies. Echoing DepEd, Rifareal said that one cannot directly link the stress that students experience during distance learning with the reported deaths. The DepEd said it would continue to reach out to teachers and students to "Provide them with vital mental and psychosocial services." The Philippines currently has a landmark mental health law which secures the rights of persons with mental health needs, provides mental health services, and promotes mental health education to schools, barangays, and workplaces. Parents and students pointed out their lack of finances to acquire gadgets needed for distance learning. On October 5, over 24 million students in the country started classes again during the pandemic.

Author: Nicholas Jones

Published: April 5, 2017

Summarization: Each June, over 21 million elementary and high school students start a new school year in the Philippines, and almost 4 million of them, or 18 percent of the entire student population, will be forced to attend extremely overcrowded public schools. Despite the shortage of space for many students at public schools in the Philippines, the DepEd had never attempted to purchase land for new school sites for several reasons. In 2014, The Australian Embassy in Manila and The Asia Foundation, through its Coalitions for Change program, began an initiative to find a more long-term solution to school congestion in the Philippines. Based on DepEd estimates, the new school site can hold 60 new classrooms to accommodate 2,700 students from overcrowded schools- an average of 45 students per classroom, the recommended number. While there is a long way to go in addressing school congestion nationwide, the DepEd is now equipped with the policy, knowledge, and financial resources to expand existing schools or build new schools, thus improving the learning environment for elementary and high school students in urban areas of the Philippines.

Link: https://asiafoundation.org/2017/04/05/school-congestion-philippines-breakthrough-solution/

Author: Abdolreza Gilavand

Published: Thursday, June 18, 2020

Summarization: The learning environment dramatically affects the learning outcomes of students. Schools' open space and noise, inappropriate temperature, insufficient light, overcrowded classes, misplaced boards and inappropriate classroom layout all make up factors that could be confounding variables distracting students in class. This study was conducted to examine the Investigating the impact of environmental factors(schools' open space, noise, lighting and painted in educational institutions) on learning and academic achievement of elementary students. Database without language restriction, since 2000 sources, with the MeSH term "Impact of schools' open space and Noise and Lighting and Painted Educational Institutions on Learning and Academic Achievement of Elementary Students". Analysis of data extraction and quality evaluation of the Literature were performed independently by two investigators. The results showed that noise in educational institutions has a negative and appropriate coloring, lighting of educational environment and schools' open space has impact on learning and academic achievement of elementary school students. Our results suggest that educational managers of country must consider environmental factors in designing educational environments.

Link: https://www.ijmrhs.com/abstract/investigating-the-impact-of-environmental-factors-on-learning-and-academic-achievement-of-elementary-students-review-5270.html

Author: Aineena Hani

Published: August 13, 2021

Summarization: 

Around the world, information and communication technologies are transforming the teaching and learning processes. Virtual learning environments are one of the most widely used technologies in universities today. The pandemic has permanently altered the educational landscape, demonstrating how technology can provide not only connectivity and greater accessibility, but also a richer learning experience. With learning likely to take place in virtual classrooms in the coming school year, a school in the Philippines had enlisted the help of the country’s leading network provider to integrate technology into the school system and accelerate the school’s transition to a digitally based, globally competitive educational institution. Technology can help students practise new skills and review previously learnt information more frequently and effectively, both at home and in the classroom. Self-marking assessment allows students to work independently, wherever and whenever they want while giving teachers peace of mind that students are always receiving the correct information.