Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said Sunday that the Department of Education is 90 percent ready for the opening of classes on the local level next month.
(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
“I would say 90 percent they are ready at the local level,” said the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture.
Gatchalian said he has been coordinating with the DepEd and its various divisions to check on the status of their preparations for the opening of classes on Aug. 24.
So far, the senator said, he is satisfied with the way things are being handled by the DepEd.
“Malaking handaan na ang kanilang nagawa at patuloy pa silang naghahanda (They have already prepared so much and they are continuing to prepare something more),” he said.
Gatchalian said he supports all the initiatives done by the DepEd, which is bent on implementing blended or distance learning in all schools nationwide, than to risk having students, teachers, and even parents exposed to COVID-19.
“Sa ganitong sitwasyon, talagang patuloy na tumataas ang bilang ng active cases sa ating bansa – almost 40,000 plus na. ‘Yung mga lugar na dating walang COVID, tulad ng Romblon, ng Basilan, tulad ng iba pang mga isla, ngayon meron na (In this situation, the number of active cases in the country has reached almost 40,000 already. Places where no cases of COVID were reported before like Romblon and Basilan and other islands, now experience a spike in cases).”
“Dahil itong sitwasyon natin sa COVID ay talagang uncertain, habang naka-community quarantine tayo, sang-ayon ako na ilagay muna sa distance learning itong pagtuturo natin para hindi malagay sa alanganin (Because this COVID-19 situation is uncertain, while we are in community quarantine, I agree that we should adopt distance learning methods in teaching to ensure no one would be compromised),” Gatchalian said.