BETTER DAYS
Senator Sonny Angara
In less than a month, school year 2021-2022 will officially open in all public and private schools. And what we’ll face is an education system in flux — or even under siege.
Just like the year before, face-to-face classes will still not be allowed. Many prefer a return to the classroom for the sake of our students, who are still adjusting to distance learning. But the reality is that our children are still very vulnerable because they have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Thankfully, the FDA and our vaccine experts have already allowed the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine among children 12 to 17-years-old. According to Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr., the inoculation of this pediatric cohort could start by the end of September or early October this year.
Be that as it may, our education sector has already taken a huge hit since face-to-face classes were suspended last year. Almost 900 private basic education schools have closed and several private higher education institutions have suspended operations. For the public school system, the impact on enrollment was not as bad as their private counterpart, but there was a reduction nonetheless.
What is often overlooked whenever such closures are discussed is the impact of these developments on our teachers. When schools close, the teaching staff are left without work. And for teachers who are fortunate enough to continue working, including those in our public school system, the challenges they face on a daily basis are daunting to say the least.
For many of our teachers, the new mode of learning has meant more expenses on their part. A study conducted by the Department of Science and Technology-National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP) showed that public school teachers are using their personal money to acquire devices such as laptops, mobile phones, printers and similar gadgets, or reliable internet connectivity. Most cannot afford a high-speed internet subscription and depending on where they are based, a stable and reliable connection may not even be available.
The Department of Education (DepEd) has committed to provide its teachers with 30 to 35 gigabytes worth of data every month for their connectivity requirements starting June this year. Some argue that this is a bit late already considering the budget for this has been available since September of 2020 when Republic Act 11519 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) was enacted. As the sponsor of the law, I was aware that at least ₱4 billion in funds were available for this purpose. Considering the importance of connectivity during this time and with less than a month before the new school year starts, I hope DepEd has already distributed the load to its teachers.
It is also worth noting that under the 2021 General Appropriations Act, we increased the budget for the teaching supplies allowance (formerly known as the chalk allowance) from ₱3,500 to ₱5,000 for each teacher. This is aligned with the measure (SBN 1092) the Senate passed in November, 2020, and which is pending at the House of Representatives, that institutionalizes this allowance, and mandates that it be increased to ₱10,000 by school year 2023-2024. The DepEd also saw an increase in its budget for the purchase of supplies and equipment, including gadgets for the use of teachers.
Another challenge faced by our teachers has to do with travel and transportation. Even under the distance learning setup, teachers have to go to their schools several days a week to deliver and pick up the modules of their students. Consider that we have teachers assigned in Metro Manila schools who live in Cavite, Laguna and Bulacan.
For teachers assigned to far flung areas, their situation is even more difficult. In Zambales for instance, teachers of the Poonbato Integrated School have to cross rivers and travel at least eight hours to reach the school at the foot of Mount Pinatubo so that they could deliver and pick up the learning modules of their Aeta students. Even though these journeys are oftentimes perilous, the teachers carry on as part of their commitment to educate our children.
I recently filed Senate Bill 2317 or the Teachers’ Home in School Act to help address this particular issue by providing public school educators with humane living facilities within the schools or at the nearest location to where they teach. This is meant to cover public school teachers who are experiencing difficulty with commuting to their place of work or are deployed in public schools located in remote or isolated areas.
During this pandemic, no sector was spared. But our education has been hit particularly hard. There may be competing priorities but in managing these, our students and teachers must not be relegated to the sidelines.
Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 17 years. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.
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