Learning is not FAIR

 Written by: Mary Josephine C. Labiang      11-BPG

Learning is not FAIR

            I was perched on my desk, gazing at the oscillating display of our old notebook while at that moment the hum of the ventilator was the one sound in the whole room. It was Grade seven but didn’t seem like this. Rather than running into a boisterous classroom with occasional laughter, there was just me, the laptop, and a heap of tasks I lacked the zeal to commence. The world has experienced a dramatic transformation due to COVID-19 disease. The school had been transformed into some faraway place; an abstract idea. Learning had become irrelevant; it was about the struggle for existence. Education used to be the only thing I thought could take anybody from nowhere to anywhere. Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most potent weapon we can use for changing the world." This quotation lingered in my mind for many years. My intentions were such that I believed and still believe, that school had the potential to be a great equalizer. At present, however, it does not seem so. It is like an albatross around my neck; a reminder of deficiency. I can take you back, I believe in the 6th grade, before everything; this is when I really first encountered the realization that things could be so unfair. There was this one boy in my class, Joshua; everyone knew he came from a very rich family. He always had the newest gadgets, the coolest sneakers, and just this lordly confidence I never did understand. He would cheat on tests and not turn in homework but nothing ever happened to him. He was caught red-handed during a test one day, and I thought, finally, something would happen. Instead of punishment, he was given a quiet warning and sent to retake the test privately. I remember sitting there, the stomach flip of anxiety wondering why this seemed to apply to one or two and not just everyone. The feeling of unfairness became even more pronounced by the time the pandemic struck in 7th grade. Online school was already a challenge in itself, yet it was sad how certain individuals found it far more difficult than others. Most days, I had a generally good internet connection which, however, was prone to interruptions at times. We shared one computer among family members; we only had one computer in our possession and I was forced to share it with my younger brother. My parents did what they could but we were just middle-class people who couldn’t purchase new gadgets. In contrast; there were some of my classmates who possessed laptops, tablet computers, and even some study areas that were strictly theirs. I would see them on the screen speaking clearly and confidently while I struggled to catch up, switching between tasks trying on my own to figure things out. 

    But what continues to be the most horrible? Unquestionably, the kids living a worse life than I did. To tell you the truth, even if they had come to school, they were disconnected from their modern technological surroundings because they were poor. How do they expect them to cope? And how could I? At that point in time, I believed that it wasn't withstood by Nelson Mandela when he discussed education; there was no force either that would change society but one that was being altered by society itself and to make matters worse. Things had finally returned to the way they were, or at least the way it was supposed to be, by the time I entered high school in my ninth year. We were in school again, and it felt odd, like something none of us really wanted to talk about. But then, something unexpected happens. I wind up sitting in Mr. Novero's math class, and he is different. He did not teach us the equations alone or better yet, prepare us for exams; he made me want to learn and really understand the beauty of numbers, something that I had been deprived of for far too long, as for the first time in ages, I thought I was actually in the process of learning again, and that I mattered.

        As I began to think about college issues, feelings of injustice came back again. University of the Philippines (UP) had been my dream since childhood even though I dreaded the thought of taking UPCAT exam. Lately, I have heard some students referred to as 'burgis', they have been using their wealth and power to make sure that they get admitted to UP. There was a time when this public university would accept anyone who couldn't afford private education, but now it is becoming more and more difficult for everyone to go there. It’s really terrible when I realize that everything is about money at all times restricting avenues open only for hard-working individuals like me. However, at that moment I stumbled upon another truth. May be entire model could not be mended by me but I might be able to contribute my bit towards its correction. Thus, I started assisting my little brother with his academic tasks; showing him the same challenges which I had passed. Furthermore, I began giving private tuition to my younger nephews living nearby who were too alone so as to need any assistance from anybody else. This was rather little although it provided some sort of salvation at least in my eyes. It gave me a sense that whatever knowledge I possessed and all this injustice could be turned into something meaningful. Education is held up as the pillar of equality for all yet at times seems like a means of keeping people down. Through every unfair situation, however, one thing remains clear; we can rise above them. We may help each other even in tiny increments. And perhaps this indeed is our individual contribution towards changing the world.