MANILA, Philippines — Senators on Wednesday scored the Department of Education over what they said was a lack of urgency in pushing for presidential approval for limited in-person classes.
Members of the Senate education committee were dismayed to learn that the president had not been kept abreast of DepEd's updated plans for pilot face-to-face classes in select schools.
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Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan, the agency's chief of staff, said the last time the matter was brought up was in December, when the proposal was presented before a full Cabinet meeting.
"Why do I get that it's as if we don't have the sense of urgency?" Sen. Nancy Binay said in Filipino, comparing the tourism department's efforts to reopen industries under it.
"They've been coming up with reports such as on how many have been vaccinated. But I haven't seen anything like that from DepEd."
Binay added that in failing to inform the president, he may have been given the impression that the proposal is for a return to regular classroom learning. Duterte has repeatedly rejected calls to allow the pilot study, citing the threat of highly infectious COVID-19 variants.
Updated guidelines for pilot classes
Under updated guidelines, only schools in minimal risk areas and those who pass readiness inspections would be allowed to hold limited face-to-face classes.
Malaluan said this would be for 100 sites: 95 elementary schools and five senior high school classes that require in-person workshops.
That number is far from the original 1,100 that DepEd planned for in late 2020. At one Senate hearing in March, the agency was also told to trim the number down.
There would be a preferrence for students living near schools and those with private transportation. School hours would also be reduced to a maximum of four hours.
As for class sizes, Malaluan said the maximum would be 12 in Kindergarten, 16 in Grades 1 to 3 and a maximum of 20 in senior high. Group work would also be disallowed.
"This means that it will not be the regular instruction," he said. The pilot study was supposedly for an initial two months, or from September to October.
Malaluan sought to assure lawmakers that the president knew of the key elements in their latest guidelines. He said he would relay senators' concerns to Education Secretary Leonor Briones.
"The debates are happening at the Cabinet meetings [and] the [Inter-Agency Task Force]," Malaluan added. "We respect the position of the committee...but what we can assure you is it's not without the secretary's passion for learning."
'Still slow and pathetic'
Binay said Briones could have just set a one-on-one presentation with Duterte to try to get his approval. "I'm really bothered and disappointed that this is what is happening," she added.
Sen. Pia Cayetano said that DepEd might not be exerting enough effort to convince Duterte to approve the proposal.
"The president reads the papers, listens to the radio and reads social media," she said. "You should be out there [and] your perspective on how we are delayed compared to children all over the world."
She added: "If the president, for that matter, has to handle 100 things, I don't think he is seeing or hearing the sad state of education. And that rollout is still slow and pathetic, if you ask me."
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, at the same hearing, cited a Pulse Asia poll in June that suggested 62% now favor a safe return to schools.
There were more who agreed to that in Classes D and E, or at 63% and 60% against the 53% in Classes ABC. Modular learning has been more difficult among the poor because of problems with accessing online modules and the added responsibility given to parents who might not be as equipped to assist with the learning modules.
"The other thing I'm getting here is we're creating a bigger divide between those who can afford to do online learning and those who can't," said Gatchalian, who chairs the committee.
A new school year amid the pandemic will begin in the Philippines on September 13. Learning would still be carried out remotely under a setup long criticized by groups as inefficient and inaccessible.