The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic should no longer be used as an “excuse” not to go back to face-to-face classes, Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte said on the opening of School Year (SY) 2022-2023 on Monday, Aug. 22.
On the first day of classes, Duterte went to Dinalupihan Elementary School in Bataan to lead the 2022 National School Opening Day Program (NSODP) and personally monitored the school opening.
“We can no longer make Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to keep our children from their schools,” Duterte said in her speech for the 2022 NSODP.
For the first time in two years, DepEd has allowed public and private schools to offer face-to-face classes for all students.
The resumption of face-to-face classes in basic education, Duterte said, is a brave and bold move that DepEd had to make amid the challenges brought about by Covid-19.
“Hindi po natin binabale-wala ang mga pangamba na dulot ng pandemya dahil diyan, naglatag po tayo ng mga alintuntunin para maiwasan na mahawa ng Covid-19 ang ating mga learners at mga teaching at non-teaching personnel sa mga paaralan (We are not ignoring the fears caused by the pandemic because of that, we have laid down guidelines to prevent our learners and teaching and non-teaching personnel in schools from being infected with Covid-19),” she said.
“The Philippines has been reopening up just like the rest of the world has reopened,” Duterte said.
On school opening day, teachers’ groups pointed out the “unpreparedness” of the government and DepEd for the resumption of face-to-face classes.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/21/ph-schools-to-open-sy-2022-2023-with-face-to-face-classes/
While she acknowledged the need to fill in the gaps in basic education, Duterte said: “We cannot make the lack of educational infrastructure or the inadequate number of classrooms in certain provinces another excuse to keep our children from schools,” she added.
Duterte shared that several schools in Mindanao and the Visayas need urgent reconstruction and rebuilding following the devastation made by Typhoon Odette in December.
While many schools need immediate intervention and facelift to become safe spaces and conducive again for the learning of children, Duterte said that the government’s basic education does not falter.
“Our children deserve to have this memorable moment – the first day of school experience – where they start to build their dreams,” Duterte said.
Duterte said that while there will always be trying times ahead, especially in addressing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on school children which led to a significant learning loss, she assured that DepEd schools division and regional offices have prepared “learning recovery plans to address learning gaps and accelerate students’ learning during this critical period.”
DepEd’s special programs, she added, will also be complemented by interventions from many organizations and education partners that wish to help school children recover from their learning loss.
“For the nth time, let me reiterate, there are no excuses,” Duterte said.
Classes for SY 2022-2023 formally started in public schools nationwide on Aug. 22. DepEd earlier said that the school opening is generally “peaceful and orderly.”
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/22/first-day-of-classes-orderly-and-peaceful-so-far-deped/
However, teachers’ groups raised issues and concerns about school opening --- especially the shortage in classrooms, teachers, and learning materials --- among others.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/22/same-old-problems-marred-the-first-day-of-classes-teachers-say/