Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘’Bong’’ Go today thanked President Duterte and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones for heeding calls for the postponement of school classes this school year.
Go, chairman of the Senate health and demography committee, Friday urged the government to reset the scheduled August 24 opening to October 5 to give more time to teachers, students, learning institutions and education authorities to give them ample time to prepare.
‘’Sa pag-urong ng school year opening sa October 5, magkakaroon ng dagdag at sapat na panahon upang matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng mga estudyante, teachers, learning institutions at education authorities sa pag-implementa ng flexible o blended modes of learning,’’ Go said. (The resetting of school class opening on August 24 to October will give ample time for students, teachers, learning institutions and education authorities to prepare their needs in the implementation of flexible or blende modes of learning.)
Go said that it is the objective of government that everybody should be given equal opportunities to go to school whatever is their station in life and wherever they reside so they are safe and do not make the current health emergency situation more difficult.
‘’Alalahanin po natin na marami pa pong hindi nakakabili ng kailangan sa eskwela o wala pang pambayad ng matrikula dahil nawalan ng trabaho,’’ he added. (We must remember that many could not buy requirements at schools or have no money for matriculation because of the lack of jobs.)
‘’Katulad ng sinabi ko noon, hindi naman natin gusto na makompromiso ang kanilang pag-aaral. Gusto lang natin siguraduhin na ligtas at magiging maayos ang implementasyon para hindi na madagdagan ang paghihirap ng mga tao. Buhay at kapakanan ng mga Pilipino ang palaging uunahin natin,’’ he stressed. (Like what I said before, we do not want to compromise their education. We just want a safe and orderly implementation of the flexible mode of learning that would not be an added burden to the lives of the people. The lives and welfare of our countrymen should be our primordial concern.