The education system is again forced to close face-to-face learning and continue with the Department of Education's (DepEd) blended learning program amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Representative France Castro and former Representative Antonio Tinio issued this statement as they slammed the the Duterte administration and the DepEd for ‘’continuing to neglect the youth's right to quality, safe and accessible education with the worsening health crisis in the country.’’

"As President Duterte reiterated in his address to the nation last Monday that there will be no face-to-face classes until the country has reached herd immunity against COVID-19, providing quality, safe and accessible education for all has been the least of the Duterte administration's priority with the rate of its vaccination program and the continuing failed pandemic response," Castro said.

"The country still lags behind in its vaccination program with only around 1.98 percent of the population being fully inoculated," she lamented.

Castro cited June 20 figures from Reuters' COVID-19 tracker saying the Philippine is only at 173,908 jabs per day, "which is still far from the needed 700,000 daily jabs to cover 70 percent of the population by end of 2021."
"As of 17 June 2021, a total of 14.2 million doses of vaccines have been delivered to the country but only 8.4 million doses have been administered. At this rate, the country is nowhere near herd immunity or even the government's own target of vaccination and the longer it will take for having safe face-to-face classes," the lawmaker stressed.

Castro said: "There are greater consequences in keeping our youth locked out of their schools especially with the Duterte administration's failed distance learning programs. Face-to-face classes still provide better quality education for our students."

"Unless the Duterte administration change it's strategy in addressing the worsening health crisis in the country, our education system will continue to be neglected and in the least priority and our youth will continue to be denied their right to quality and accessible education," she further said.

On his part, Tinio said the DepEd must ensure that schools have adequate facilities and proper ventilation to prepare for safe face-to-face classes.

"The country is now facing a worsening 'learning crisis' as we continue to shut down schools and force the failed blended learning program of the Duterte administration. The Department of Education and the Duterte administration's blended learning program composed of modules, online classes, and even broadcast learning has been plagued with problems on accessibility of online classes, errors in the printed modules and lack of gadgets or tutors to supervise the youth. We have yet to hear from the DepEd its plans to improve these problems for the upcoming school year," Tinio said.