Amid the surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections nationwide, a group of education workers pushed for the implementation of a two-week “health break” in areas placed under Level 3 by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines reiterated the call for the implementation of a two-week ‘health break’ in areas placed under Level 3 by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
“Many of our teachers have been sick since the new year started; like the rest of the country, it seems,” said ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio in a statement on Tuesday, Jan. 11.
Basilio noted that “nearly every household we know has a sick member in it teachers and students alike are struggling to keep holding classes amid this Omicron-driven surge.”
Basilio said that teachers as well as students are either sick or taking care of family members who are. “It’s only humane to give all of us a break amid this outbreak, if only to allow us to recover,” he added.
ACT said that the 14-day “health break” will provide “enough time to recuperate from whatever symptoms our teachers and students are experiencing at the moment.”
If granted, Basilio said that 100 percent of the “health break” should be dedicated to getting better and should not be utilized for asynchronous classes, webinars, and other activities under the Department of Education (DepEd).
“We don’t want a replay of last school year, where students were given a break in mid-March while teachers were forced to attend In-SETs (in-service training),” Basilio said.
“We all need a break, as well as medical support from DepEd and the rest of the government,” he added.