Filipino students left in the dark

Our lives will never be the same again. In a span of one year, everyday norms, social interactions and even our way of living tremendously changed. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our worlds stopped. A mist of uncertainty filled every country that was bracing for the virus, and as students living in the Philippines, we became completely blinded by what was about to come, just like being unprepared for a battle that will eventually end in either our survival or demise. Day by day, we see the effects of the pandemic all over the world. It did not only affect our way of living, but it also brought a huge impact in the economy, the field of medicine and the education system. COVID-19 has definitely taken a significant toll on every person, and with the sudden shift in the mode of learning, many students were greatly affected. According to a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations, as of November 2020, an estimated 4.4 million school-age Filipinos were unable to enroll and unfortunately, students of Ateneo de Zamboanga University are no exemption. The situation that we are in is frustrating, given the fact that studying in the middle of a pandemic is already a struggle – dealing with impossible deadlines, overload of requirements, inconsiderate professors and unstable internet connections, but on top of that, the biggest problem that the majority of students are currently facing is the lack of financial resources to continue their studies. A major issue that should be highlighted during these trying times. As the number of out-of-school youth continuously increases day by day, we are left constantly wondering, how will the common Filipino parent afford to buy gadgets needed for online learning if they can’t even purchase basic necessities such as food? What will happen to the students who will not be able to enroll this school year, will they be left behind? Is education only for the privileged now? With the unpredictability that the current administration is displaying through their erratic plans to manage this global crisis, it is safe to say that we are left in the dark. With no definite plans to address the issue of the falling economy due to the countless lockdowns and increasing unemployment rate, parents are choosing to make the difficult decision for their children to skip the school year. It is tragic and unfortunate that education just becomes one of the many sacrifices that we have to pay because of our incompetent leaders, who rely on militarism instead of science and logic to address the pandemic. It was not the virus that handicapped us, but our government. The way they handled one of the world’s deadliest pandemics led to the suffering of millions of Filipinos, all because of their incompetence. As we enter another year of lockdown, a question from all Filipino students, both enrolled and unenrolled, remains: what will the government do? Or better yet, will the government do something about it? A wave of fear and uncertainty once again fill our minds as we take on the roles as mere spectators on what seems to be a television soap opera, waiting for the climax of the story. We are truly facing difficult times not only as a community, but as a nation. Allan Bloom once said, “Education is the movement from darkness to light”, but for the Filipino students left in the dark, the light at the end of the tunnel is slowly dimming as time passes by.