As the country’s public schools have begun its distance learning system, Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday again made a pitch for the protection of teachers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
(OVP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Speaking at the virtual National/World Teachers’ Day celebration of Department of Education (DepEd) Region 5, Robredo said teachers should not be put at risk while they perform their duties.
“Many are risking their life and limb, exposing themselves to possible infection,” Robredo, who was a teacher herself, noted in her online speech.
The Vice President said that it was also “unfair” for teachers to spend their own money for the printing of modules for distance learning.
In the Bicol region, she said 90 percent of teachers use modular learning methods for remote classes, while the 10 percent of them teach online.
For this school year, the DepEd is implementing modular learning where students are provided with printed learning materials. Other modes of learning such as online, television, and radio broadcasts would supplement the modules.
“COVID-19 may forcibly have put our lives on hold, but this does not mean education must stop,” Robredo said.
The vice president said they have allocated funding for the modular distance learning training program for teachers in the region.
“Funds have been earmarked by our office so our teachers don’t have to worry about fees and overhead expenses,” she said.
Robredo called on the government to put in place digital infrastructure in the shift to distance learning.
“We really need to adopt, speed up, scale up, because this is the future. And if we don’t act now, we could continue to fall behind, leaving our teachers and learners struggling,” she said.