THE DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) was quick to declare as a success the resumption of classes. Not a few slammed this premature and presumptuous assessment.
The government can only claim a successful school opening versus the coronavirus when it has adequately addressed the pandemic and the youth can safely go back to their schools for their classes. We can hardly call teachers spending out of their own pockets for module production and distribution and internet connectivity, lagging and garbled video and audio during online classes, and a new school year with over three million students out of school a success. All we were able to do on Oct. 5 was start the new school year.
In truth, the resumption of classes was only able to push through because of the dedication and hard work of teachers and education support personnel who found ways to bridge the gaps and shortages due to institutional failures in preparing for a safe, quality and accessible education for all.
It is self-serving conceit for the government to say that the reopening of classes was a triumph against coronavirus disease considering that it is the teachers, education support personnel, parents and local governments who thought of ways to ensure that the youth will have access to education.
All of us want a successful reopening of classes. What’s farcical is for DepEd and the national government to declare the reopening of classes a victory without adequate assessments and despite the still many shortages and problems brought about the limited resources, materials and equipment it provided teachers and students.
Modules remain incomplete if not riddled with embarrassing errors. Not all learners were supplied with gadgets for online learning. Teachers’ allowances remain inadequate. Some parents are ill-equipped to guide their children studying through modules or online.
The only time the government can claim victory for the opening of classes amid the pandemic is when it is able to genuinely prioritize education in the national budget and provide adequate learning materials and teaching expenses allowances for our teachers and students. It has to first address these demands for safe, quality and accessible education.
