THE PILOT run of limited face-to-face classes in 100 public schools across the country started yesterday. Three of these schools are in Western Visayas – the Mayabay Primary School in Barbaza, Antique; Igsoro Integrated School in Bugasong, Antique; and Laserna Integrated School in Nabas, Aklan.
We doff our hats to teachers for taking on the challenges of school reopening and curb the learning loss brought about by the pandemic . However, key health and safety measures are needed to ensure the protection of teachers and learners. Also needed are more school nurses and utility personnel to free teachers of the additional and heavier non-teaching tasks that the Department of Education (DepEd) assigned to teachers in light of the school reopening.
Our teachers have been at the forefront of the call for safe school reopening and have been involved in the planning and preparation of its pilot run. Because of this, they can very well see the gaps in the school reopening plan that weaken school safety and spell heavier burden to teachers.
As in other countries and in companies and other government offices, regular screening / testing must be done to ensure that the COVID-19 virus will not enter the school premises. A special vaccination program may be undertaken in the areas where pilot face-to-face classes are being held. The greatest fear of teachers and families of learners is their incapacity to afford expensive COVID-19 treatment. The government should set aside a medical fund for this purpose.
Our teachers are given heavier responsibilities for the school reopening. Apart from conducting daily health check of all participating learners, they are tasked to man and manage school clinics in the absence of available health professional, and will surely shoulder the burdensome sanitation and disinfection duties as school utility personnel are very scant. How can teaches focus on their teaching job when they also double as school nurse and janitor?
Hiring of school nurses and utility personnel could boost school safety and would let teachers do their primary work of teaching. And yes, provide that hazard pay. The government should give incentives to teachers who face the challenges of school reopening head on. They will be exposing themselves and their families to great risks, they only deserve to be granted hazard pay.
