opening of classes

No internet? Teacher invites students to use his home WiFi for online classes

Bonz Magsambol

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

No internet? Teacher invites students to use his home WiFi for online classes
'Konting tiyaga.... Darating at babalik din tayo sa normal na kabuhayan natin,' teacher Reynaldo Balverde tells his students

It’s the least he could do, he said.

Reynaldo Balverde, 61, a teacher from Bagong Ilog Elementary School in Pasig City, decided to share his internet connection with students so they could continue their education in the middle of the pandemic.

“Bago pa lang kami magkaroon ng online class, marami na akong naririnig na mga magulang na ang sabi, ‘Sir, paano po magkakaroon ng online class? Paano po magkakaroon ng messenger ‘yung anak ko po eh kami po ay walang internet?” Balverde told Rappler in an interview on Monday, October 5.

(Before online classes even started, I already heard a lot of parents saying, ‘Sir, how can we have online classes? How can my child access Facebook Messenger if we don’t even have internet?’)

Concerned, Balverde didn’t think twice about offering his WiFi at home to students who needed it.

No internet? Teacher invites students to use his home WiFi for online classes

“Kaya ‘nung tinawagan ko ‘yung mga bata na kung sino sa inyo ang gusto
mag-online class, meron akong internet. Hindi ko na kayo sisingilin. Parang ano ko na lang sa kanila ‘yon, parang regalo ko na lang. Para maipagpatuloy nila ang kanilang pag-aaral kahit na may pandemic tayo sa ngayon,”
Balverde said.

(That’s why I told my students that if they wanted to take online classes, they could connect to my WiFi at home, at no charge. Consider it my gift to them, so they can continue studying despite the pandemic.)

Balverde said that if teachers themselves are having a hard time coping with the revamped education system, it is even worse for students who don’t have access to the technology needed for distance learning.

He has only one advice for students: to persevere. It’s the best thing they can do as the whole world waits for the pandemic to be over.

Konting tiyaga. Kasi ano eh, hindi naman ito habambuhay ano? Darating at babalik din tayo sa normal na kabuhayan natin. Kaya nga sabi ko sa mga bata, konting tiis lang. Sa mga magulang, ihatid ‘nyo ‘yung mga anak ninyo sa bahay ko, papagamit ko sa inyo ang libreng internet. May katapusan din naman itong [pandemya na ito],” Balverde added.

(Persevere, because this pandemic won’t last forever, right? Soon, our lives will go back to normal. That’s why I told my students to just endure it for now. Parents, just bring your children here; they can use my internet free of charge. This pandemic will come to an end.)

On Monday, over 24 million students in the country started classes again in the middle of a pandemic.

But unlike school openings in previous years, campuses on Monday stayed closed and face-to-face lessons remained suspended due to the continuing threat of COVID-19. (READ: WATCH: Empty classrooms as Philippines starts classes during pandemic)

Following President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive for schools to delay face-to-face classes until a coronavirus vaccine becomes available, the Department of Education has shifted to distance learning. (READ: FAST FACTS: DepEd’s distance learning) – Rappler.com

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Bonz Magsambol

Bonz Magsambol covers the Philippine Senate for Rappler.