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Lessons Unlearned: Fight for Inclusive Education Carries into Second Year of Remote Learning
by Isaiah Castro

“It makes me anxious,” John Carlou, 20, confesses when asked how he feels about remote learning. “Since it started, I have been struggling financially, mentally, and emotionally. Also, learning at home does not work well for me because I keep doubting myself.”

The eldest among four children, John Carlou resides in the rural Daanbantayan town in northernmost Cebu. An incoming third-year student of political science at the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu, he admits that he feels “alienated” and is still adjusting to the virtual set-up. He worries about his performance, especially during the heavily stressful final exams, which reflects on the grades he received last semester.

“My first sibling is an incoming college student and the other two are junior high school students,” John Carlou shared. “Thus, I am working online while studying to ease my parents’ financial burden.”

This was not always the case. During the height of COVID-19 lockdowns in the middle of 2020, John Carlou was stranded in the mountainous Calape town in Bohol and had tremendous difficulty accessing the Internet for class. Despite these odds, he opted to enroll last year “to graduate, find a decent job, [and] help the family financially.”

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