CEBU, Philippines — Students from 4,675 primary and secondary schools in Central Visayas will return to school today with over 2,000 schools returning to full face-to-face classes after two years of online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rest of the schools will adopt blended, as well as television and radio-based learning.
Director Salustiano Jimenez said the Department of Education (DepEd)-7 has listed up to 1.8 million students from both public and private schools, as of this writing.
“We expect mga 2 million learners for this school year but I think na-reach na ni nato nga figure kay sige pa man og encoding ang atong mga teachers para maapil na gyud ang tanan sa LIS (learner information system),” Jimenez told The Freeman a day before class opening.
At least 141 schools have yet to encode their enrollees.
DepEd is also expecting additional enrollees even as classes have started.
“We still have Monday (today)… I believe there will be parents nga mu-eroll sa ilang mga anak on Monday yet, diretso na lang siguro na sila… With this, we feel nga makuha gyud nato atong target of 2 million,” Jimenez said.
Return to face-to-face
“For the full face-to-face, there are 2,000 plus schools… especially in the rural areas… around 68 percent of our schools, based on the data reported by the superintendents, will be implementing face-to-face classes,” Jimenez said.
Most of the schools returning to full in-person classes are located in Bohol, Siquijor, Negros Oriental, and Cebu Province.
In Cebu City, a highly urbanized area, around five to seven schools have informed DepEd-7 that they will also return to full in-person classes.
Schools in the two other highly urbanized cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu will adopt blended learning.
To avoid crowding in campus, schools that will return to in-person classes will adopt a shifting schedule – one in the morning and another in the afternoon, and in the evening, if necessary.
Shifting will also be adopted in schools with classrooms that have not been repaired fully yet after Typhoon Odette in December 2021.
Thousands of schools in the region still have to be fixed.
Readiness
To adapt to the new normal due to COVID-19, Jimenez reminded parents to continue reminding their children to practice minimum health protocols, especially the wearing of facemask.
“We hope that all the teachers, the school heads, and even the non-teaching personnel, those that are involved in the opening of classes… to observe the protocols especially the wearing of face mask, don't forget to wash their hands... We provided hand washing facilities and also essentials like alcohol, etc… Keep reminding our learners as well… and sa mga ginikanan, i-remind kanunay ilang mga bata… for added proteksyon sa sakit, not necessarily sa virus (COVID-19) but sa uban pa,” Jimenez said.
In Manila, Senator Joel Villanueva said the “all systems go” pronouncement of DepEd must be matched with the readiness on the ground of the facilities, teachers, and students.
“The era of missing classrooms, sharing tables and chairs and holding classes under the shade of trees must no longer happen,” Villanueva said in a statement.
“We expect our students to have their classes in comfortable classrooms and with complete learning materials as promised by DepEd,” he added.
He said the observance of minimum health standards must be ensured as the threat of COVID-19 continues to linger.
Teachers’ salary
The senator said the opening of a new school year also brings to focus the hardships of teachers.
“A salary upgrade is ideal, which we will continue to push but a realistic measure that may be immediately addressed would be an increase in allowance of public school teachers, including those in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and state-run technical vocational institutions (TVIs),” he said.
Villanueva has filed two Senate bills to address these concerns.
“We propose to provide additional grocery and transportation allowance, and medical allowance for teaching and non-teaching personnel in public basic education schools (Senate Bill No. 564), as well as teaching personnel in our SUCs and TVIs (Senate Bill No. 565). We must pay our teachers for what they are worth given the responsibility they carry on their shoulders — our children's learning and future,” Villanueva said. – Caecent No-ot Magsumbol,JMO (FREEMAN)