2020 Highlights of Events in Education (Part VII)

By Dr. Rex Casiple

 

In confronting the Covid-19 pandemic, hHigher education institutions (HEIs) around the world were studying how to move on with classes. This caused a massive education experiment in several countries in the world including top universities.

Trent University in Canada has provided 500 Chromebooks or laptops to students who may have no financial or technological resources to fully participate in remote learning.  The university has raised a big amount from donors for what it is calling the Remote Learning Initiative. Other universities provided laptops to students as initiatives through loan programs. Laboratory classes in Concordia University in Canada were done at home.

In General Chemistry I classes, professors sent students their very own mini lab kits. These laboratory kits can be used by the students for their hands-on experience while following the class lectures online at home. The kits include laboratory glassware, such as beakers, flasks, and graduated cylinders; a weighing balance; and a burette.

The professors prepared experiments using ingredients they easily find at home or in a grocery store, such as vinegar, salt, rubbing alcohol, rice and paper clips. This makes students assignments easy and safe to do at home. In the absence of Covid-19 vaccine most of the universities in Asia were using online teaching-learning system.

The survey on courses popular to students and in schools in Western Visayas and in almost all regions in the country showed that Agriculture and Fisheries remained in the bottom rank of all disciplines in higher education.

The food prices increased due to increase in demand for food during this Covid-19 outbreak. Food markets faced more months of uncertainty as the pandemic further weaken the food security. The key markets for many producers were reduced due to closures of restaurants and street food outlets.

On October 5, 2020, the whole world was celebrating the United Nations’ (UN) World Teachers’ Day. The theme of celebration was “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future”. The World Teachers’ Day offered the chance for worldwide public to observe significantly the vital contribution which teacher creates, both outside and inside the classroom. The celebration reminded the whole world of the role of teachers in providing quality education at all levels. It raised awareness of the work done by teachers and to support them to help the learning of future generations.

Hence, on this day, Filipino teachers were honored as part of the celebration. The year 2020 World Teachers’ Day coincided with the National School Opening in Basic Education in the country. The opening of classes in elementary and secondary levels in the country was delayed because of the health protocol developed to combat the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. And despite of this pandemic, education in the country continued with the support of the government, teachers and parents.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported that 165 countries around the world have closed all their schools in March 2020 because of the Covid-19 virus. This closure affected nearly 1.5 billion students and 63 million primary and secondary school teachers. Online classes have been adopted in most countries but millions of poor children who have no access to the Internet have been left out of the classroom. Modern teachers have shown great leadership and innovation to ensure learning never stops despite of deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

Amid this pandemic period, teachers around the world worked to find solutions to allow education to continue through various mode of teaching-learning system, such as full online teaching, flexible or blended learning, or hybrid model, etc., appropriate to the learning situation of the students and the availability of the learning resources. (To be continued)