MANILA, Philippines – Nagbabala si Senator Pia Cayetano sa Commission on Higher Education (CHED) kaugnay ng polisiya nito na nagpapahintulot sa mga higher education institutions (HEIs) na pansamantalang magpatupad ng 100 porsiyentong online classes sa gitna ng krisis sa langis at enerhiya.
Ginawa ni Cayetano ang pahayag matapos ilabas ng CHED ang Memorandum from the Office of the Chairperson No. 117, s. 2026 bilang tugon sa deklarasyon ng state of national energy emergency. Sa ilalim ng memorandum, pinapayagan ang mga HEI na magpatupad ng full online delivery, maliban sa laboratory at skill-based classes na mananatiling onsite o daraan sa angkop na alternative modalities.
Ayon sa senadora, bagamat layon ng polisiya na tiyakin ang learning continuity at makatulong sa energy conservation efforts, dapat pa ring pag-aralang mabuti ang posibleng pangmatagalang epekto nito sa pagkatuto ng mga estudyante.
“Families are experiencing difficulties because of the ongoing global fuel and power crisis. These are not easy times, and government agencies, including our education institutions, are being asked to adapt quickly,” ani Cayetano.
“CHED’s move to allow schools to shift to 100% online classes is clearly intended as a temporary solution to ensure learning continuity while supporting energy conservation efforts,” dagdag niya.
Binigyang-diin ni Cayetano, na nagsabing siya ay Senior Vice Chairperson ng Senate Committee on Finance at dating EDCOM II commissioner, na kailangang harapin ang usapin “with great caution.”
Ayon pa sa kanya, nananatiling seryosong suliranin ang learning gaps sa education system ng bansa, kaya sa anumang pagbabago sa learning modality ay dapat munang matiyak na tunay na natututo ang mga estudyante.
“We cannot ignore the risk that prolonged or widespread reliance on fully online modalities may further widen existing learning gaps, especially for students who may not have equal access to technology, stable connectivity, or a conducive learning environment at home,” pahayag niya.
Nagbabala rin ang senadora na maaaring unti-unting maging normal ang isang polisiyang dapat sana’y pansamantala lamang.
“Moreover, there is a real concern that what is intended as a temporary measure may gradually become normalized. We saw this emerge after the pandemic, when emergency learning modalities persisted longer than necessary. We must be vigilant to ensure that this does not happen again,” dagdag pa niya.
Iginiit ni Cayetano na mahalaga pa rin ang face-to-face learning hindi lamang para sa academic outcomes kundi maging sa disiplina, engagement, at kabuuang development ng mga estudyante.
“This is why we must carefully balance the need to respond to the crisis with our responsibility to protect our students’ learning experience,” aniya.
Hinimok din niya ang CHED at lahat ng HEIs na magtakda ng malinaw na benchmarks, measurable learning outcome indicators, at tiyak na review timeline upang matiyak na mananatili itong isang emergency measure at hindi tahimik na magiging bagong pamantayan.
“I urge CHED and all HEIs to establish concrete benchmarks, including measurable learning outcome indicators and a defined review timeline, so that this policy remains a genuine emergency measure and does not quietly become the new standard,” babala ng mambabatas. Ernie Reyes
