Recognizing that shortages in basic education resources are among the biggest challenges facing the country, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara on Monday, July 22, assured that “additional attention” will be given to resolving these issues in the coming days and weeks.
In an interview after his first flag-raising ceremony at the DepEd Central Office in Pasig City, Angara noted that his predecessor, Vice President Sara Duterte, had already initiated many measures to address these issues.
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“There are a lot of problems that persist, such as our resource gap,” Angara said.
The Philippine education system has long grappled with various issues, including inadequate resources, overcrowded classrooms, and disparities in educational access between urban and rural areas.
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These challenges have been exacerbated by recent global events, including the Covic-19 pandemic, which disrupted traditional learning methods and highlighted existing inequalities.
To address these challenges, Angara mentioned that he is seeking assistance from Congress.
“Pero ‘yong mga administrative reforms on the side, I think we could speed up the issuances ng department (However, regarding the administrative reforms on our side, I think we could speed up the issuances from the department),” he added.
Regarding classroom shortages, Angara said something “drastic” needs to be done to address the issue.
Noting initial figures, Angara mentioned that about 159,000 classrooms are lacking. “Ang problema d’yan nagdadagdag tayo every year because of the population increase (The problem is that the deficit increases every year due to population growth),” he explained.
“Nagdadagdag ‘yan by 12,000 a year sinasabi sa atin ‘no. Eh, ang nako-construct lang natin nasa 2,000 lang a year, so kita mo, ‘yong deficit dumadagdag ng 10,000 a year (It’s said to increase by 12,000 a year. However, we’re only constructing about 2,000 classrooms a year, so you can see that the deficit grows by 10,000 a year),” he added.
To address this, Angara suggested that the standards for construction should be reviewed. “Let’s look for more construction solutions or more modern constructions,” he added.
When it comes to teacher shortages, Angara said it is “not as bad” as the shortage of classrooms. “It’s not that big, parang nasa 1:27 tayo ngayon if hindi ako nagkakamali so it’s not as bad as the classroom shortage (“It’s not that big, we’re currently at about 1:27 if I’m not mistaken, so it’s not as bad as the classroom shortage),” he added.
To address related concerns, Angara mentioned that department issuances are being prepared specifically for the implementation of the initial rollout of the MATATAG Curriculum, education quality and assessments, and teachers’ progression, among others.
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In resolving the challenges faced by DepEd and basic education in general, Angara highlighted the need for collaboration and teamwork.
“We must put our best thoughts, our best intentions, and our best actions together to achieve the best results,” he told DepEd officials and personnel during the ceremony.
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