ILOILO City – Effective July 31, 2020 respected private Catholic school Angelicum School Iloilo (ASIL) based in Jaro district would cease its operation. School Director Reverend Father Maximo Gatela cited the difficulty that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created.
Would other private schools do the same? Mayor Jerry Treñas hoped not.
“We do not want nga may masilira nga mga private schools. It would affect sa ila nga mga estudyante. It would also affect the employment of private school teachers,” said Treñas.
There are around a hundred 100 private schools in this city mostly offering preschool, elementary and secondary education just like Angelicum School Iloilo.
“I will schedule a meeting with all private schools,” said Treñas.
Private schools here suspended classes beginning March when community quarantine was imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Treñas said this brought adverse economic impact on private schools, making them unable to sustain their operation and support their teaching and non-teaching staff.
On Wednesday night, May 27, Father Gatela issued an official statement addressed to the parents of Angelicum students announcing the school’s decision to close.
Prior to this, Gatela held an online meeting with the officers of the school’s council of parents on May 9 and expressed to them the difficulty that COVID-19 had brought to the over 40-year-old educational institution.
“The experience of the 4th Grading Period was difficult for all of us. The sad part was that ASIL was not ready and failed miserably in delivering the services,” read part of Gatela’s statement.
As the situation of uncertainty continues, according to Gatela, “we cannot prolong the 4th Grading experience throughout the whole school year nor keep you hanging in the air. Effective July 31, 2020, ASIL will cease operation.”
What will happen to Angelicum students?
The school laid out three options. These were the following:
* home study program of University of Santo Tomas (UST)-Angelicum College
* REAP – a home study-based programs (virtually for free) also under UST-Angelicum College
* transfer to other schools
Gatela said the first two options featured “non-face-to-face” instruction and therefore fit during this COVID1-9 health crisis.
“Your transfer documents are ready for pickup after you have been given clearance,” he added.
Opened by the religious order Dominicans in 1978 with 70-plus students and four teaching staff, Angelicum School Iloilo pioneered the non-graded, open-classroom education system in the Philippines.
It is also known for the Lizares Mansion in its compound, a former heritage house and one of Iloilo City’s imposing landmarks.
Early this month, the umbrella organization of private education institutions in the country, the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), appealed for government help. Managing Director Joseph Noel Estrada said the private education sector “is one of the sectors seriously affected” by the community quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
COCOPEA is composed of more than 2,500 private educational institutions in the country, represented by its five member-associations: Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAPSCU), Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU), Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), Association of Christian Schools Colleges and Universities (ACSCU), and the Technical Vocational Schools Association of the Philippines (TVSA).
Around two million students are seen to leave private schools as families struggle with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Estrada.
To ease the burden of the private schools while it transitions to the so-called new normal on education, COCOPEA asked for the inclusion in the social amelioration packages the educational costs and needs of students and financial assistance to teachers and school personnel affected by the quarantine, particularly the minimum-wage earners.
COCOPEA also sought long-term loans packages for affected faculty at no interest, and loans and subsidies for students and faculty in the acquisition of computers, laptops, and other gadgets needed for online and blended education consistent with the provisions of Republic Act 10650, the Open Distance Learning Act./PN
