THE DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) is set to pilot test 100 out of almost 48,000 public schools for face-to-face classes starting Nov. 15, 20 long months after the national government ordered a halt in the face-to-face operations of schools.
It should also ramp up its preparation of all schools for face-to-face classes. It should not rely on its conservative plans for school reopening and most importantly, it should not leave the responsibility of preparing the schools to teachers alone.
It is understandable that many parents are still hesitant to enroll their children for face-to-face classes. This is a result of our government’s lack of preparation to adequately address the pandemic and fully prepare for the reopening of schools.
The Philippines is the only country in the world left with schools closed. DepEd says the situation of our education system cannot be compared to other countries. But that is hogwash; instead of making excuses as to why it is still not possible to safely open schools, DepEd should take bold steps to make schools open safely. Use scientific measures and not non-sense policies to ensure that our schools are indeed safe for in-class learning. Let us not waste anymore resources with barriers and never-ending lockdowns of schools.
Ensure that classrooms have better ventilation, air filtration, washing and sanitation facilities. Ramp up vaccination programs. Provide COVID-19 testing for teachers and education support personnel who will participate in face-to-face classes. Hire more school nurses/doctors. Provide a medical fund for treatment of those who will get infected with COVID-19. By making sure that the DepEd’s guidelines and protocols are sufficient in ensuring the safety and health of our teachers and students, the nation’s confidence in the reopening of schools will grow.
And yes, DepEd should not to leave the responsibility of ensuring that our classrooms are safe to teachers like what it did in 2020 in the blended distance learning program. Teachers need support and protection amid the education situation in a pandemic. It is the responsibility of the DepEd and the Duterte administration to ensure that our teachers have adequate support and that our learners have access to quality education.
