THE FURTHER postponement of the school opening to Oct. 5 is an acknowledgement of what we have been saying all along — the Department of Education is ill-prepared for the delivery of safe, accessible and quality education amid the pandemic.
The health and economic crisis have put on full display the grave weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the education system which has long been in crisis. The sorry state of public schools makes them the perfect setting for disease outbreaks during a pandemic. The technological backwardness of the public education system hinders effective online distance learning.
The government must allocate sufficient funds to resolve the problems in education and fuel learning continuity. Schools, teachers, parents, and students must not be left struggling on their own to prepare for the school opening.
The past three months saw half-baked preparations for the school opening. The hard truth is that decades of government neglect and ineptitude has now left the country with nothing but the hard choice between two poisons — to risk lives and leave millions behind for an unprepared education continuity program, or further delay the fulfillment of the youth’s right to education.
From today until Oct. 5, the government must satisfy the following urgent measures to enable school opening: allocate sufficient government funding for the all the requirements of learning continuity amid the pandemic; ensure school safety and health protection for education workers; health screening and mass testing before on-site reporting of education workers; sufficient sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools; functional clinic in every school; strict observance of minimum health standards in school gatherings; provide teachers and learners with gadgets and support for internet expenses; ensure the 1 is to 1 ratio of printed module sets to students.
Beyond Oct. 5, the government should further endeavor to fulfill the bigger requisites to ensure the sustained delivery of safe, accessible, and quality education: employ comprehensive health measures to contain the pandemic; address the economic crisis through provision of meaningful aid and employment; fill in the shortages in schools, classrooms, other facilities, and personnel; improve internet connectivity in the country and the technological capacity of public schools.
The people have the right to demand the fulfillment of the government’s mandate to provide quality and relevant education to every learner and ensure enabling health and socio-economic conditions for all.
