31/03/2024
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CARTOONING by YellowPencil
OPINION by Saturday July
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The pandemic opened a window for learning loss to push in further, increasing the demand for our focus to be painstakingly set on inventive ways to solve the pre-existing problem. Yet, in the thick of the learning curve's detrimental repercussions, we are yet to find the guiding force to lead us out of this academic gap. What are the actions taken by the school to cater to the learning losses? Will constructing a FOURTH canteen help bridge it? Another stage? Maybe install another meter of OUTDOOR tiles? Hey! What can we lose? It's just the funds administered to be devoted to QUALITY EDUCATION.
Unprepared and unaware of our learning environment, we rely heavily on our governing factions to lead and assist us in obtaining a quality education. To help us close the learning gap, focus on key or foundational abilities such as basic literacy and numeracy. Achieving quality education begins with learning the fundamentals. There are numerous other things you might do instead of decorating our school.
With that said, it is also imperative that we extend our reach in dispensing quality education as the pandemic has exponentially escalated learning poverty. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences states, βLosses are up to 60% larger among students from less-educated homes, confirming worries about the uneven toll of the pandemic on children and families.β
Another issue I need help understanding is the WIDE discrepancy in the absence of the ESSENTIAL aspects a classroom and curriculum should consist, especially with the learning loss at hand. In reference to the consensus that not only students but also teachers suffer from this loss, reports from the Asian Development Bank states, βPolicymakers may need to increase their investment to ensure all teachers can be adequately trained in a relatively short period of time."
This is why I advise you, Emilians, to be critical of decisions relating to spending funds devoted to helping US pursue education. Does this benefit the majority of the school or does it only pose to boost our pride? If so, what is there to be proud of?
This is not to argue that advertisement does not help the school, but the demand to focus our attention on consolidating our curriculum and solving academic drought is banging on your door.
Why are we focusing on constructing such superficial parts of the school that are not even part of the learning process and the healthcare of learners? Since we are the people who are experiencing the environment firsthand how we are situated in this environment affects not only our capacity to learn but also our physical well-being which should concern the administration.
Whatβs that? Building rehabilitation? I doubt Iβve heard that before in between these cracked walls and the construction noises brought by your little innovations. Letβs take a closer look at these innovations that our school made.
Oh, those enormous tiles, how lovely to gaze upon. But has the school considered the risks it may bring? As decorative as it is, our country is known to receive not just frequent but abundant rainfall. Consider the money it must have cost to create such decorative elements for the school. The cost of labor and the tiles themselves, whether funded by school finances or a specific school official's monetary pool, wastes so much time and energy on making useless "improvements" when the school could have established sustainability and swooped in to save us from the learning gap.
The next exhibit in Proud GEANHS is the school restrooms. Add some "adequate" ventilation and at least one existing "functional toilet" and the school is good to go. We are squeaky clean and satisfied with the results. Insufficient access to necessary sanitary conditions creates a significant barrier to education, as children commonly miss school due to hygiene-related ailments. But I suppose that isn't the priority, so let's leave it at that. Let illnesses spread.
Is there correct waste management? According to studies that address the issue of waste in the Philippine education system, the generation of solid trash in faculty rooms of higher education institutions has been highlighted as a possible area for development, and it is an area that requires immediate government attention. That being said, poor waste management can result in a host of health concerns, such as skin irritation, infectious infections, and difficulties with respiration.
Furthermore, global warming is catching up. Thus, the excessive heat aggravates our students' medical issues. Given this, it is best to evaluate the school's measures to mitigate climate change. The unresolved solar panels have the potential to be a significant step forward in the school's sustainability efforts, yet they are being ignored. Don't even get me started on the cost of facilitating such energy storage, as the school has already spent a lot of money and space decorating. There is no excuse to sleep on such potential unless your priority is elsewhere.
Digging deeper into environmental issues, school gardens are an excellent method to link children with the natural world, hence widening our path to climate change mitigation. We additionally have an Agriculture strand in Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE), which might be another significant step toward mitigating climate change if expanded further. Nonetheless, the school had undertaken questionable efforts to take over the garden's areas and establish the trash disposal facility next to it. Talk about student health and safety.
Even more concerning are the hazardous constructions. Have they been tackled? These structures accommodate innumerable students for 90% of the time they are in school. With this recognition, it is disturbing to consider how the school is emphasizing decorative renovations while numerous unsafe structures should be REHABILITATED.
Circling back to WHAT OUR PRIORITY SHOULD BE: consolidating and innovating our curriculum. What is the gender-inclusive program at this school? It's fundamentally vague, leaving us walking on eggshells to avoid being discriminated against. At the very least, make the lines plain for us to follow. As previously stated, we rely significantly on YOU, the governing factions, to guide and assist us in attaining a quality education.
I have been very upfront with my queries, worries, and statements. I want your great office to understand that I will keep writing concerning school issues as long as they are not properly acknowledged. As an Emilian, it is our responsibility to pursue quality education, and for that reason, I will maintain my position.
