Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri has joined the calls to postpone the opening of classes until next year to give the government more time to prepare all the needed resources for the shift to distance learning.
Zubiri on Thursday echoed the appeal of local government officials about the scheduled school opening on August 24 as he observed that the Department of Education (DepEd) and other concerned agencies are still not ready to implement its alternative learning modes.
"At this time we are not ready. We are appealing to Cabinet members to ipaghanda muna nila bago magsimula ng klase nitong Agosto (to prepare first before opening the classes this August)," he said in an online interview with reporters.
The Senate leader said he was "really worried" that far-flung communities in the country will not be able to keep up with the planned approach.
For instance, he said 80 percent of the population in his home province Bukidnon do not have access to internet. "And the same goes to so many provinces" in Mindanao, Zubiri added.
He said he was also still "clueless" as how the DepEd will roll out its self-learning plans and the use of television and radio in delivering the lessons to children. He recalled the Senate basic education committee's June 25 hearing where DepEd officials admitted that they have yet to determine the appropriate distance learning approach for each area in the country, train teachers, and print the modules to be distributed to students.
"It could be a good idea that we should possibly postpone the opening of classes hanggang matiyak na 100 percent na po ang streaming services or home schooling modules ng DepEd (until we have assured 100 percent that all the streaming services and home schooling modules of DepEd are prepared)," Zubiri told reporters.
Citing the views aired by groups of local chief executives, he said the DepEd could consider moving the opening of classes to January 2021, to allow the Department of Information and Communications and National Telecommunications Commission sufficient time to set up free Wi-Fi services in localities.
"As of now, walang-wala (there is nothing)…Hindi pa talaga tayo handa (We are really not yet prepared)," he maintained.
Last May, the League of Provinces of the Philippines, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines appealed to the DepEd to reconsider its plan to open classes on August 24 as they feared that the failure to properly implement the distance learning will pose more risk to students.
Congress has approved on final reading the bill allowing the opening of school year beyond August.