Knowing that the Philippines is a third world country, conducting an online class, perhaps, is a challenge that nobody would even consider taking on. Ever since classes were suspended last March 09, 2020, due to the COVID-19, many school instructors resorted to online classes as an alternative for classroom learning which caused distress for most Filipino students, with their similar sentiments to suspend online classes.

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You see, with our great demand for a stable internet connection, students who deal with the pain of taking an online class, all endured the same struggle. Mobile devices and other technological tools that a virtual classroom demands, may not be available for everyone to use and some may even fail to provide these devices that would allow them to keep in touch on the internet.

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But academic institutions and universities seemed to be persistent in making the shoe fit, by further utilizing this approach on their students despite its apparent difficulty. Did they even consider that not everybody is capable of performing and participating in virtual lectures?

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And not to mention this year’s statistics which reveal that only 36% uses mobile phones in the Philippines, which does not even attain half of our total population. With this gap on the accessibility of the use of mobile devices and an internet connection, it’s a stern cause that affects the students’ productivity and ability to meet their academic load.

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Others may contend on the idea that online classes would help students and universities amidst the class suspension, by helping to avoid restraining the academic calendar and allowing them to keep in touch with the lessons covered by the term. Teachers and professors could disseminate activities and projects to lessen the workload of their students in the event that classes resume. But we should also agree that students have varied ways of learning and coping with their environment; some would gain knowledge through visual, auditory, or kinesthetic techniques, so what works for one may not necessarily be applicable to others.

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And while communication is the key to understanding, conducting online classes may involve miscommunication and require great effort in interacting between the student and the lecturer. Students might experience difficulty to participate in discussions and lectures online and the effectiveness of delivering the lessons would also be compromised, given that instructors may not accommodate their needs and address all their concerns.

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With no certainty as to when this health crisis we’re facing will end, we have to reassess the feasibility of utilizing online classes in the country because it is not favourable for everybody.