COVID-19 brought several consequences, grievances, and unfortunate situations to families, communities, and systems. As such, addressing these concerns can contribute to better comprehension and solutions to pressing issues.

The University of Santo Tomas' Model of United Nations held its 9th installation from March 23 to 25, following the theme "Congruency in the Formation of Education in the Post-COVID Era: Redefining and Safeguarding Inclusive Education."

Known for educating students worldwide on the frameworks and operations of the United Nations, UST MUN held its three-day event with well-known guest speakers to highlight the UN's advocacies and platforms on development, peace and security, and human rights.

Alongside Ambassador Ariel Peñaranda, lawyers Antonio Ligon and Chel Diokno, aspiring diplomats, delegates, and world leaders from different countries and universities also shared their resolutions on addressing the post-pandemic education crisis.

Development and advocacies

During the first day of the three-day virtual conference of the UST MUN, Peñaranda, the Deputy Permanent Representative at the Philippine Mission in UN, New York, spoke about the operations of the Philippine mission and their contributions toward the UN while sharing the plans for inclusive education in the post-COVID era.

He explained the roles of the diplomats on the global stage, such as speaking as representatives of the Filipinos and the Philippine government, not only as individuals.

Peñaranda also expounded that the Philippines’ mission in the UN is to address the interests of the Philippines, such as inequalities, climate change, education, and technological development, among others. He also emphasized prioritizing inclusive education.

“We believe that a better-educated Filipino will contribute positively to our society and our economy,” he said.

He then pointed out the Department of Education’s MATATAG Agenda and the three initiatives of the government, namely (1) adoption of modern learning spaces, (2) learning continuity, and (3) inclusive learning for differently abled — all of which could contribute to inclusivity in education.

Moreover, lawyer Antonio Ligon, the second speaker, gave tips and tricks on how to effectively draft position papers incorporating laws, simultaneously emphasizing the importance of such an activity in the legal field as it focuses on carefully describing issues or other concerning topics like redefining education.

“Always know your advocacy,” he said.

In relation, lawyer Chel Diokno talked about enriching education in the 21st century. He emphasized how vital education is to our personal development and nation-building, explaining that education is at an all-time low, followed by statistics that show the Philippines placing the lowest in international academic assessments.

“Education is crucial to our development as individuals and as people,” he said.

As such, he also shared his 10-point plan to solve the Philippines’ education crisis like addressing the problem from its root, calling out legislators to increase our educational budget to at least 5 percent of the Philippines GDP (as of now, it is only at 3.5 percent), creating a Deputy Ombudsman for education to fix the corruption in the education sector, and increasing the salary of the public school teachers and non-teaching staff.

“We must address the education crisis now,” Diokno stressed, adding that we should allow the world to hear our voices.

Inclusivity in education

Within the next two days of the conference, delegates from different countries conveyed their stands on resolving and providing meaningful solutions for establishing inclusivity in education.

The debate happened among three committees: the General Assembly Council, the Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC), and the Security Council. Sponsors of each committee also presented the summary of their resolutions at the press conference.

The General Assembly Council and ECOSOC drafted solutions for increasing educational accessibility in rural communities in LEDCs through technology and prioritizing education among indigenous or minority groups in the conflict zones. Generally, they focused on narrowing digital barriers and improving the quality and credibility of open education resources — all for addressing the post-pandemic education crises.

“[The] delegates give their insight through speeches that highlight every needed information in the resolution,” said Jordan Sarmiento, a delegate from Australia.

Education was one of the most affected sectors when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Today, it continues to suffer, and so do its stakeholders, patrons, and benefactors. The gaps in learning continue to widen, especially for marginalized communities when education shifted to online learning. Knowing there are students being left behind and being aware of the numerous issues our education system is facing pushes us to fight for more accessible and inclusive education for every student.

As such, education is a right everyone is entitled to enjoy and have, particularly children, regardless of their status, race, religion, and condition. Through programs like the UST MUN 2023, world leaders, future lawmakers, and diplomats could create solutions that will contribute to the betterment of the education system across all borders.