Equity in Online Learning Amidst Pandemic in the Philippines

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face learning engagement of students and the teachers in the school has been suspended. This pandemic has paved the way to the implementation of the different distance learning modalities as urgent response to ensure safety of the students and continuity of education. Equity in education means, granting educational opportunities to anyone on equal basis; disregarding of the nationality, gender, ideological differences or mental and physical disabilities. Thus, having equity in online learning is ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Online learning has merits and demerits. Online learning is efficient, affordable, and flexible. It can also suit various learning styles as a learning delivery modality. Online learning also has positive and negative implication to the values and ethics of the learners. Some of the positive implication to learners’ values is having persistence, self-discipline, and respect while having online learning. On the other hand, there is also a negative implication to learners’ values like online academic fraud. Equity in online learning in the Philippines is still in progress because not all learners can have a good internet connectivity, a device to use and technological literacy. It calls for all teachers to be trained in teaching online with equity issues part of the training. This paper strongly supports the need for online learning in the times of crisis, but suggests that it must done professionally and with equity.