President Rodrigo Duterte approved plans for a face-to-face pilot run involving 100 schools in low-risk areas, following reports that the Philippines remains to be the only country without physical classes.
“Kailangan papasa sa safety assessment ng Department of Education ang lugar kung saan maghohold tayo ng face-to-face classes. Kailangan pumayag ang local government, kailangan may consent ng parents,” said Education Secretary Briones in response to fears that the trial would cause a spike in new cases.
Class periods will be shortened and only a few students will be present at a time. Consequently, those involved must strictly follow safety protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.
Briones said that if the pilot is successful after two months, more low-risk areas will gradually start to return to the classroom.
However, only about 18.5 million Filipinos — almost one-quarter of the population— are now fully vaccinated, far from the 60-70% for herd immunity. Despite this, the government is in a hurry to return to the face-to-face set-up, as a year of distance learning has taken a toll on the entire student population.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has flagged the Philippines for keeping schools closed, lamenting the “18 months of lost learning, deferred potential and uncertain future.”
“The education crisis is still here, and with each passing day that classrooms remain dark, the devastation worsens. This is a crisis we will not allow the world to ignore. Our channels are silent, but our message is loud: Every community, everywhere must reopen schools as soon as possible. Schools must be the last to close and the first to reopen,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.
Although the Department of Education has the highest allocation in the 2022 budget, critics point out that the transition will require a lot more support.
“Dapat dagdagan pa ang budget ang sektor ng edukasyon, ayuda, at maging maayos na health facilities at libre, ligtas at abot-kamay na testing at pagbabakuna para maalalayan ang unti-unti at ligtas na pagbubukas ng mga kampus,” said the Kabataan Partylist.
Featured image courtesy of Philippine Star
