THE FACT that more than half of our schools cannot implement 100 percent face-to-face classes, while the 46 percent is doing it under less than ideal conditions, shows that so many things still need to be done. Let us not sweep the urgent concerns of our teachers and learners under the rug.
“‘Feel-good’ stories of pretty classrooms funded by teachers’ pockets and showcase of fun activities for learners on the first day of school cannot hide the gross unpreparedness of the school reopening that is rooted from years of state abandonment of education.
Consider these: cramped classrooms, lacking chairs, flooded schools, classes in condemned or unfinished buildings and temporary spaces. How can we describe the school opening as “very smooth” while these problems marred the first few days of the school year?
The first step to address a problem is to recognize it. We call on the DepEd to make a truthful assessment of the situation of the educational system, account how many classrooms, chairs, teachers, education support personnel, textbooks, modules, laptops, etc., are lacking so that it can work hand-in-hand with stakeholders in pushing for ample budgetary support for the implementation of 100-percent safe school reopening and education recovery.
Apart from the physical problems, work overload of teachers this school year is particularly severe. Big classes were divided into two and teachers alternately conduct face-to-face classes and remote learning modalities. However, these were only counted as one teaching load while the teachers handling them will have to do double preparations and instruction. Teachers will get exhausted early in this very poor system. There have been reports of teachers tasked to teach for more than six hours a day, or with continuous six-hour teaching schedule sans break, or teaching six different subjects in high school that entail six preparations daily.
Simply opening schools will not overturn the learning crisis. There has to be concrete targets on how the deficiencies in education will be filled up. There has to be an evidence-based and viable plan on how teaching and learning should be conducted. The days are counting, we need urgent action and a leadership who is on top of things.
