Senatorial candidate and incumbent Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Thursday welcomed President Duterte’s order to resume in-person classes across the country, saying this would help solve the learning poverty in Philippines.
Duterte’s order calling for the resumption of face-to-face classes is part of the administration’s 10-point policy agenda meant to hasten the recovery of the country’s pandemic-weary economy.
Escudero, who is seeking a Senate comeback in the upcoming May 2022 elections, has been pushing for the resumption of the face-to-face classes in areas where Covid-19 infections are low.
The former lawmaker cited Sorsogon as one of the provinces that can hold in-person classes since more than 55 percent of the barangays were free from Covid-19. Citing studies, Escudero said, remote learning was not proven effective as it should be.
“Sang-ayon at suportado ko ang kautusang ito ni Pangulong Duterte sa panunumbalik ng face-to-face classes sa buong bansa (I agree and support the President’s order for the resumption to face-to-face classes nationwide),” Escudero said in a statement.
“Higit sa economic recovery, ito ang tamang direksyon at solusyon upang muling matutukan ng ating mga guro ang maayos na pag-aaral ng ating mga estudyante (More than economic recovery, this is the right direction and solution to enable our teachers to teach our students physically),” he said.
“Umaasa tayo na sa pagbabalik sa mga classrooms ng mga mag-aaral ay makahabol sila, muling makasabay at hindi na mapag-iiwanan ng mga estudyante sa ibang bansa na matagal nang nagbalik-paaralan (As students return to their classrooms, we expect that they won’t be left behind by the students in other countries that have long returned to schools),” Escudero said.
Based on a World Bank Report on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic to learning, it was shown that remote learning only covered 20 percent of the Philippines when the government imposed one of the strictest and longest lockdowns in the world, leaving out many students who were ill-equipped and not ready for this arrangement.
According to the report, learning poverty in the Philippines rose to as much as 90 percent in August 2021, whereas during the pre-pandemic, it was already at 69.5 percent.
Learning poverty, based on the World Bank study, is the share of 10-year-old children who are unable to read nor understand a simple story. The report also noted that Filipino students ranked worst in math and science.
“I do not believe they are poor learners but because they have a poor learning environment and may not have the support they need to focus on their studies,” Escudero said.
“We have to address this crisis in education, and bringing them back to school is a good start and the right direction,” the senatorial bet stressed.