Up to DepEd to study 3-day school week – Palace

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is giving the Department of Education (DepEd) a free hand to decide on whether to implement a three-day school week to address the shortage of school facilities.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. yesterday said DepEd had presented the proposal to school superintendents.

“The President is leaving it up to Secretary (Armin) Luistro and the Department of Education to decide,” he said.

Education officials proposed double-shift schooling or a three-day school week in several congested public schools.

Under the double-shift plan, classes will be held from 6 a.m. to noon and from noon to 6 p.m. Most parents prefer this scheme, based on consultations.

In the three-day school week, classes will be held from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in two sets – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Poor academic performance

Lawmakers slammed DepEd’s plan to shorten class hours to address congestion in public schools, saying it would only result in poor academic performance.

Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian cited reports from DepEd that out of 865 public schools in Metro Manila, at least 743 implement double shifting despite the construction of additional school buildings.

“Teachers will be forced to compress their lessons because of limited time in these two proposed schedules while students will not have enough time to digest information,” said Gatchalian, a member of the House committees on basic education and culture and on higher and technical education.

“The three-day or double-shift schemes will affect the quality of education and the students’ capacity to absorb information, and in turn, the competitiveness of our workforce,” he said.

He said both proposals would also force children to wake up very early for their 6 a.m. class, affecting their sleep and their ability to absorb lessons.

Gabriela party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said DepEd’s proposal is the “latest proof of the Aquino government’s ineptitude and utter abandonment of its obligation to ensure that every Filipino child enjoys the basic right to education.”

“What will our children learn with shortened class hours and fewer days in school?” Ilagan said.

She recalled that the President said the construction of 66,813 classrooms would address the backlog in classrooms by 2013.

“Where are these classrooms and why are 70 students still cramped in classrooms built for 30 to 40 students?” she asked.

Bigger budget

Coloma, however, cited the progress of DepEd under Luistro in addressing the shortage of classrooms and other school facilities.

He said DepEd had constructed 66,213 classrooms and provided 2.5 million chairs and tables and 61.7 million textbooks to students, adding that the Aquino administration has allocated a bigger budget for education than any previous administration.

He said the government even expanded the conditional cash transfer program so that the young beneficiaries could finish high school.

He also noted that millions have volunteered for Brigada Eskwela since two weeks ago, even as he urged more people to help in the spirit of bayanihan.

He also noted that many school facilities were destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda, the Zamboanga City siege or suffered from natural wear and tear.

Free bus service

Meanwhile, DepEd said it would offer free school bus service to public school students in Metro Manila who will be compelled to transfer to other schools due to classroom congestion.

DepEd Assistant Secretary Jesus Mateo said they expect an increase in enrollment in some schools in Caloocan, Valenzuela and Quezon City.

“We will bring them to schools which have the capacity to absorb more students. They will be enrolled in the receiving schools,” he said.

Mateo also cited Batasan Hills National High School in Quezon City, which is usually featured in news reports as a congested school. He said enrollees are up by 800 students based on the DepEd’s early registration held last January.

“The students who could no longer be accommodated in Batasan NHS will be transferred to nearby schools in Cubao, such as Quirino National High School and the Ramon Magsaysay High School by way of busing,” he said.

He said the city of Valenzuela is implementing the scheme to avoid congestion in public schools.

“We have the schools with excess classrooms, it’s a matter of distribution,” Mateo said.

He said the problem of overcrowding in public schools in Metro Manila is not an issue of funds but of “buildable” space.

“We have the budget for classrooms but no more space for new buildings,” he said.

Oplan Balik Eskwela

To ensure the smooth opening of classes, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has set guidelines and procedures to be implemented by concerned units.

The DepEd said the opening of classes for public schools is on June 2 and on June 6 for private schools.

At least 2,500 police personnel will be deployed at the university belt in Metro Manila and in the immediate vicinity of schools to complement foot and mobile operations of Barangay Peacekeeping Action Teams and local police units, said Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac, PNP Public Information Office director. – With Helen Flores, Paolo Romero, Cecille Suerte Felipe