SCHOOL OPENING | VP Duterte says Philippines ready for class opening despite classroom shortage

August 19, 2022 , 04:14 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(August 19, 2022) – Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio on Friday assured the government is ready for the opening of another school term for 2022-2023, despite concerns raised by teachers’ groups on the shortage of classrooms for face-to-face classes.

In a public hearing by the Committee on Basic Education, Duterte, who is also the education secretary, said she has “immediately prepared and put to task” the executive committee of the department to ensure that the resumption of face-to-face classes next Monday will run smoothly.

“Nandiyan pa rin po yung mga problema noong mga nakaraang taon, pero hindi tayo titigil sa paghahanap ng solusyon sa mga problema na iyan sa susunod na anim na taon,” Duterte told senators in the hearing.

“WE ARE READY”

Siniguro ni Vice President at Education Sec. Sara Duterte sa pagdinig ng Senate Committee on Education na handa ang kaniyang kagawaran sa pagbubukas ng mga paaralan sa Lunes, August 22. | via @maeannelosbanos pic.twitter.com/0raE0qAPX4

— News5 (@News5PH) August 19, 2022

In a lower house hearing last week, DepEd Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said public schools still lacked 91,000 classrooms for the incoming school year. Teachers’ groups have raised concerns that the classroom shortage could hold back the implementation of face-to-face classes and social distancing measures in schools.

Duterte said she acknowledged there are problems the sector is still facing such as the shortage in classrooms and teaching materials, but the department is working to address this.

The Department of Education’s (DepEd) regional directors have also assured that they are “all systems go” with the resumption of classes, said the department’s spokesman Michael Poa.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) criticized DepEd for what they called an “outright dismissal” of the problems faced by teachers due to classroom shortage.

“The least DepEd can do is to be honest about the situation and own up to the deficiencies,” ACT said in a statement. “Kapag ganitong sinasabi nilang maayos na ang lahat pero sa Lunes ay marami pang kakulangan, ang mga guro na naman ang maiipit at masisisi.”

Earlier, Benjo Basas of Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) urged DepEd to make an inventory of classrooms and make estimates of how many they still need, noting that they still received reports that there are still not enough classrooms.

Regarding the issues on classroom shortage, Poa said the department will look into addressing the issue over the long term.

“In fact, in our budget for next year, we have already allotted para po sa pagpapatayo at pagpapagawa ng classrooms,” he said. “But for now, we really have to implement yung mga strategies. So aside from shifting, pwede rin po tayong mag-blended learning.”

Based on DepEd’s latest report, there are around 27 million learners from kindergarten to Grade 12 in public schools across the country.

There will be over 24,000 public and private schools who will begin with full face-to-face classes starting August 22, making up 46% of schools in the country. Nearly 30,000 or 52% will still adopt blended learning modalities, while 1% or just over 1,000 will hold full distance learning.

(MM | With reports from Marie Ann Los Baños, News5)

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