A youth group urged on Monday the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to guarantee quality education for the coming semester amid the transition of higher education institutions to online learning.
Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK), an activist youth organization, said it wanted CHED to go on record that it commits to ensuring quality education due to the "confidence" expressed by Commissioner Prospero De Vera III in the schools' readiness for the coming semester.
"With all the difficulties and uncertainty surrounding the coming academic year, we need more than ever for De Vera to reassure students, parents, teachers, and school employees that the coming school year will be worth all the trouble," SPARK national spokesperson John Lazaro said in a statement.
"Otherwise, De Vera’s words will simply prove to be all bark and no bite," he added.
According to SPARK, the claim of readiness made by the CHED commissioner was "baseless" since they continue to receive multiple reports from students who have encountered difficulty in the enrollment procedures, absence of guidelines on how the blended learning will proceed, as well as the lack of gadgets and a stable connection.
The group added that the Commission should first address issues surrounding the new mode of learning, adding that CHED “has no right to allow an increase in school fees if it could not guarantee quality education."
SPARK previously slammed CHED over various issues including the increase of tuition and other school fees, the continuation of online classes, among others.
It has also been pushing for an" academic freeze" until January to allow students, teachers, and school workers to look after themselves first during the pandemic.