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(GEPCOMM) Diagnostic Writing Task by Martinez, Irish Benette M.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted education worldwide from traditional in-person learning to distance learning online. However, not all students have access to the necessary technology like laptops, smartphones, and internet access. This has worsened educational inequalities between wealthy students who can afford these resources and poor students who cannot. Educational institutions must address this issue with compassion and ensure accessibility for all students, regardless of their financial situation. They should provide necessary technology and internet access to disadvantaged students, show leniency for late assignments due to connectivity issues, and avoid overburdening students during these difficult times.

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Irish Benette Martinez
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343 views3 pages

(GEPCOMM) Diagnostic Writing Task by Martinez, Irish Benette M.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted education worldwide from traditional in-person learning to distance learning online. However, not all students have access to the necessary technology like laptops, smartphones, and internet access. This has worsened educational inequalities between wealthy students who can afford these resources and poor students who cannot. Educational institutions must address this issue with compassion and ensure accessibility for all students, regardless of their financial situation. They should provide necessary technology and internet access to disadvantaged students, show leniency for late assignments due to connectivity issues, and avoid overburdening students during these difficult times.

Uploaded by

Irish Benette Martinez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Martinez, Irish Benette M.

Course: Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA)


Block: 01109C
Subject Code: GEPCOMM – C33

Closing the Digital Divide of Online Learning in Times of COVID-19: Compassion is the Way

The COVID-19 pandemic situation has significantly changed the course of education
worldwide. From the more familiar and traditional face-to-face setup to the staggering
alternative medium that is the space of distance learning—teachers have now replicated,
adapted, and implemented classroom methods that may or may not be conducive for the
learning of students. This educational revolution had many places, school, and university
classrooms replacing physical books and teaching system with laptops, smartphones, and
broadband. For some this may be an easy, or perhaps even convenient, transition. However,
the same cannot be said for every student across the country, especially those who live in
remote areas where there is little to no signal reception. Consequently, this so-called “new
normal” entailed financial burden and inequalities on families in vulnerable, poor sectors.

This implies that students from poor families—from places without Internet access—are
more likely to be denied education, widening already embedded educational inequalities that
will later on affect employment for a lifetime. In high-income nations, online learning may
prove to be an effective medium for students, but in developing countries such as Philippines, it
worsens inequality between rich and poor due to the assumption that everyone can afford the
gadgets and setup needed to attend classes in online setting. Educational institutions must
analyze the situation less from a privileged position. It must be recognized that education is a
right, not a privilege. It must be made accessible to all. It must be looked at with tender
compassion and sympathy.
That is why educational institutions, particularly the Department of Education (DepEd)
and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), should address this situation by first and
foremost prioritizing access to broadbands, smartphones, and laptops for students who cannot
handle or afford the financial needs, demands, and struggles of online learning most especially
at a time where people have existing survival struggles brought by the pandemic situation. For
example, some students do not have the financial capacity to apply for a monthly internet
provider. They resort to prepaid broadbands, where popularly used applications such as Zoom,
Discord, and Google Meet consume large amount of data and are too expensive in the long run.
Some students have faulty gadgets, which already puts them into disadvantage during
synchronous sessions. It is difficult enough already that the government cannot provide the
economic conditions that would assure its citizens decent Internet access. To lessen inequities,
a fair learning ground or treatment should be catered to all, rich and poor alike. In line with this,
DepEd and CHED must observe leniency and compassion for students who are unable to submit
requirements on time due to connectivity issues or any issue of the same validity, while
donation drives of laptops, tablets, and smartphones should be further strengthened and
conducted in underprivileged areas. In the recent weeks, students have also cried out for
academic breaks because the workload of some subject courses are too much to handle along
the mental, emotional, and financial stress of attending online classes. That being said,
educational institutions must have the sympathy and understanding to adhere to these calls
and concerns.

Since academic freeze is neither the best option, educational institutions must exercise
the virtues that make them humans and must therefore avoid detaching themselves from the
unfortunate reality of most students here in the country in times of a deadly pandemic.
Inequality in education is a serious issue that needs to be addressed with the right perspective,
driven by compassion. After all, such inequality influences the competitiveness of the country
decades later, considering that for all the technological advances in the present, genuine
human interactions remains a staple to any kind of learning. Smartphones can be a necessary
learning aid, but it cannot fully replace the proximity and sincerity a physical classroom allows
for teachers and fellow students alike. While institutions in the Philippines is striving to strike
the balance of preventing new infections and reopening the economy, education for the future
of online learning must also be given of the same importance.

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