Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is seeking a more vigorous expansion of limited face-to-face classes by January 2022 to jumpstart the recovery of the basic education secotr from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, made the call following the Department of Education’s (DepEd) plans to proceed with the expansion phase of limited face-to-face classes by January 2022.
During a recent Senate hearing, Gatchalian pointed out that the 268 schools participating in pilot face-to-face classes as of December 15 is only 0.44 percent of the 60,677 schools nationwide. DepEd has since updated the number of participating schools to 287.
He also pointed out that the 23,104 basic learners participating in a limited in-person setup is equivalent to 0.08 percent of 27.4 million learners in basic education for School Year 2021-2022.
Gatchalian said the DepEd should target hitting a percentage of schools and learners participating in face-to-face classes.
“If the direction of the next phase is to expand, maybe we can hit 10 percent of the number of schools or 10 percent of the number of students and then gradually open. Because right now, we’re barely hitting the surface, malayong malayo pa tayo,” the senator stressed.
“Among the biggest challenges are the issues of inequality in terms of literacy and access to gadgets because those students who have access to gadgets are learning more than those who don't. So, the longer we put off school, the longer the inequality will grow,” he noted.
Gatchalian said the fact that DepEd has acknowledged there were zero infections recorded among participant learners and teachers after four weeks of limited face-to-face classes shows that a safe and gradual resumption of in-person classes is possible as long as public health protocols are observed.
Gatchalian reiterated that the government should avoid a two-year lack of face-to-face classes, noting that the prolonged absence of in-person learning would have an adverse impact on the economy.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) had estimated that the yearlong lack of face-to-face classes would result in P11-trillion in productivity losses over the next 40 years.