Teachers' group lists requisites for 'quality education' amid COVID-19 pandemic
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:35 p.m.) — After the government heeded calls to postpone the opening of classes just ten days before they were originally scheduled to resume, a teachers group on Friday listed its requisites for quality education amid the novel coronavirus crisis.
"The decision is what's best for the country but will only go to naught if the requisites for the delivery of safe, accessible, and quality education will not be met," the Alliance of Concerned Teachers said.
"In the next weeks, not only DepEd but the whole of [President Rodrigo Duterte's] government must endeavor to resolve the many problems that make school opening...precarious to the stakeholders' health and counterproductive to the fulfillment of the people's right to education."
The group's Secretary-General Raymond Basilio further reiterated the group's list of demands which it said will ensure the delivery of "safe, accessible, and quality education" amid the COVID-19 pandemic:
- contain the spread of the pandemic and address the economic crisis
- address shortages in facilities, personnel and equipment in schools and implement comprehensive health measures to ensure the safety of schools
- provide all resources necessary for distance learning modalities
"Finally, we enjoin the agency to hold genuine consultations to involve the stakeholders in the planning and preparation of education continuity," Basilio said.
Congressional hearings, social media as 'consultation' with stakeholders
DepEd's announcement came after Vice President Leni Robredo, senators, members of ACT and other stakeholders raised several concerns about the preparedness of the public education system to implement new distance learning protocols.
However, during a press conference Friday, Briones said she submitted a policy analysis to Duterte on August 8, recommending that he postpone classes.
This, even as DepEd the following Monday doubled down on August 24 being the "hard limit" for the resumption of classes.
"While waiting for the president to make his decision, we had to stick with the law which says schools can open the last week of August the latest," Briones explained.
The extra time will be used to produce modules for offline distance learning, only a little over 50% of which has been printed so far, according to DepEd.
Members of ACT last week claimed that teachers from other provinces had already begun creating and printing their own modules out of their own pockets in their rush to be ready for the previous opening date of August 24.
READ: Teachers' group to DepEd: Revise 'failed' blended learning plan or postpone class resumption
Briones also brushed off claims that her agency failed to consult with teachers and students, citing surveys conducted by DepEd as well as its social media account which she says receives messages from parents and teachers "all the time."
"There are many hearings in both houses wherein affected sectors all say their piece. So it cannot be said that there's no consultation," she added in a mix of English and Filipino.
She also downplayed the number of coronavirus infections among teachers, claiming that they were few and that their recovery rate was high.
ACT on Friday morning logged 131 teachers nationwide who have been infected with COVID-19 while DepEd during a Senate hearing said 598 individuals from its teaching and non-teaching staff have contracted the virus.
Senators urge DepEd to use extra time wisely
Meanwhile, senators welcomed the postponement of classes but urged DepEd to be sure to use the extra time to boost health protocols for students and teachers and to improve the quality of all distance learning modalities.
Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri suggested that the opening date be pushed even further back to January.
"Look at the experience of the [United States] where they opened face-to-face classes two weeks ago and now they have 100,000 new infections among young students," Zubiri said in a mix of English and Filipino.
A joint report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association found that 97,000 children tested positive for COVID-19 in the US during the last two weeks of July.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who chairs one of the Senate's committees on education, stressed that it is crucial that DepEd improve the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) by completing self-learning modules and improving radio and television programs along with other modalities.
DpEd this week drew criticism after social media users noticed grammatical and typographical errors in a multiple-choice question that it broadcast ahead of the opening of the school year.
Briones said this happened because there was an error in encoding the material.
"Another crucial point I would like to emphasize is to give teachers assurance in terms of their welfare and health care needs, especially if they fall ill to the coronavirus," Gatchalian added.
The senator said the success of BE-LCP's roll-out hinges on "on the confidence we inspire among our teachers by upholding their welfare."
Meanwhile, Sen. Francis Tolentino praised DepEd for heeding the calls of stakeholders, saying: "Listening to the voices of other sectors especially the parents, teachers and the LGUs paved the way for this appropriate and humane decision."
"The extra days given DepEd should enable them to prepare more sustainably given the critical situation we are all in," he added. — Bella Perez-Rubio with reports from The STAR/Paolo Romero
Follow this thread for updates on when classes will resume, and how those classes will be conducted.
Photo: Students wearing protective face masks have their temperatures taken while entering their college campus in Manila on January 31, 2020. AFP/Ted Aljibe
DepEd says School Year 2022-2023 "shall open on Monday, August 22, 2022, and shall end on July 7, 2023. It shall consist of 203 school days or as may be determined by further issuance/s in case of changes in the school calendar due to unforeseen circumstances."
Sen. Nancy Binay calls on the Commission on Higher Education and the inter-agency task force on COVID-19 not to "burden" students over requirements for face-to-face classes.
Higher educations students are being required to present medical insurance and other documents before participating in face-to-face classes.
“This is a cumbersome and unnecessary requirement para sa college students, considering that by law, all Filipinos are automatic members of PhilHealth. Sa totoo lang, 'di kailangang dagdagan ang proseso, dapat nga mas simplehan pa,” Binay says.
The Department of Education announces that it will increase the number of participating schools in the pilot implementation of face-to-face classes.
"The expansion of the number of pilot schools will allow a greater degree of experience among all our regions that will serve us well for the expanded phase of face-to-face classes," DepEd says.
With the approval of the Office of the President, the Department of Education is announcing that it will increase the number of participating schools in the pilot implementation of face-to-face classes.
— DepEd (@DepEd_PH) November 11, 2021
Read: https://t.co/cCqC91kZPw pic.twitter.com/Us3GvFxp1F
COVID-19 immunization has started for tertiary students in Ilocos Norte as part of the massive vaccination campaign of the Commission on Higher Education.
This in preparation for the reopening of in-person tertiary classes, CHED-Regional Office 1 said as a ceremonial vaccination of students at Mariano Marcos State University was held on Monday in collaboration with the Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government, the provincial government and Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center.
About 800 students are expected to be inoculated through the CHED immunization drive.
Prior to this, MMSU had already vaccinated 75% of its student population. — The STAR/Artemio Dumlao
President Rodrigo Duterte has authorized limited face-to-face classes for the following programs:
- Engineering and Technology programs
- Hospitality/ Hotel and Restaurant Management
- Tourism/ Travel Management
- Marine Engineering
- Marine Transportation
Commission on Higher Education Chairman Popoy De Vera, who made the announcement, said the authorization applies to "degree programs that require hands-on experience in higher education institutions under Modified General Community Quarantine."
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