THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers urged the government to provide gadgets and internet support to students to ensure learning continuity.

The group said that the enhanced community quarantine hobbled distance learning because module distribution was halted, while online class participation further dropped with families unable to afford connectivity expenses.

“We are seeing an alarming rate of learning loss among students, worsened by the limitations imposed by an aidless ECQ. DepEd officials themselves declared on multiple occasions that learning must continue amid the pandemic, but how? The already inaccessible distance learning became farther from the reach of most of our students — many of whom have been reeling from the health and economic crises since last year, nasaan na ba ang ayuda?” Raymond Basilio, the group’s secretary general, said.

The group’s monitoring revealed that module distribution in many areas in the National Capital Region, Region IV-A, and Bulacan is being done via Facebook messenger, where teachers send digital copies of the modules, photos of learning materials, and activities to multiple group chats.

Teachers noted, however, that a large number of students were unable to access the materials due to lack of proper gadgets and internet connectivity, leaving educators at a loss on how to reach these kids.

Some teachers reported that they were compelled to physically distribute and retrieve modules despite the health risks. In such cases, teachers print and sort the materials inside the campus and leave boxes at the gates where parents can collect and drop off modules with minimal interaction.

“Teachers’ dilemma goes like this: on the one hand, we can opt for the safest option of doing everything online but many, if not most, will likely be left behind; on the other, we can brave our way to our schools and physically distribute modules, risking our safety and that of parents and nearby communities. All because the government continues to abandon the education sector, with these pressing concerns falling squarely on our shoulders,” Basilio said.

“Our students need gadgets and internet allowance now for learning to continue amid and beyond the ECQ. The youth’s right to education can’t continue to suffer due to the government’s many failures — to provide the needs of distance learning, to give sufficient aid to low-income households, to contain the pandemic, and many others. These must be addressed now, before it’s too late,” Basilio warned.