Printed modules, lack of gadgets, too much work -- these are just some of the problems that encountered during the first week of classes, a teachers’ group said.
“One week after the opening of classes for this school year, initial assessment from the ground shows that this is far from being a success,” said Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) on Monday, Sept. 20.
Contrary to the declaration of Education Secretary Leonor Briones of a “successful” School Year (SY) 2021-2022 opening, TDC said that parents, students and teachers continue to struggle as they face the same old problems encountered when distance learning was first implemented last school year due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/09/13/opening-of-sy-2021-2022-is-a-celebration-of-sweet-smell-of-success-briones/
TDC said that this year’s school opening is far from being successful as manifested in the various observations and experiences of teachers on the ground.
Based on the initial assessment of TDC on the first week of classes, the group noted that printed modules remain a challenge - with many “still not available” for students.
“Schools initiated the fund-raising for modules through private donors and LGU sponsorship,” TDC said. “Worse, some depended on the teachers’ income and physical strength in sourcing, printing and sorting out the modules to be distributed to learners,” it added.
TDC also observed that many students and their families are still “struggling” for the access to gadgets and internet connectivity.
“This challenge, however is not exclusive for them, because even some of our teachers do not have laptop computers and a reliable internet connection of their own,” TDC added.
Moreover, TDC raised concerns on the “neglect” of the government when it comes to the safety of teachers.
TDC alleged that despite the supposed strict regulations of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and the Department of Education (DepEd) on alternative work arrangement (AWA), “unreasonable and compulsory physical reporting of teachers continues.” “This, even if the default set-up for then is work-from-home scheme, disregarding the rules and the risk posed by the ever-rising cases of COVID-19 in the country,” it added.
Since last year, TDC said that teachers continue to be “burdened” with loads of clerical tasks, printing and sorting of papers and frequent online meetings and seminars.
These, the group added, are on top of the essential activities such as online tutoring, orientation and follow up with children and parents, synchronous and asynchronous lessons, and reading and correction modules.
“The tasks exceed the maximum working hours for teachers set by law without overtime pay,” TDC said.
TDC also lamented that while many issues haunt the education sector, teachers - in many occasions - were asked to “keep silent and never air their grievances especially in social media or face the ire of their bosses.” The group alleged that who attempt to tell the truth suffer from “indignation” --- thus, complaint and grievances are not “discussed and resolved.”
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/09/20/no-its-not-teachers-group-says-school-opening-is-far-from-being-a-success/