ABOUT 800 schools affected by last week’s torrential rain and floods that postponed the start of classes on Monday would have to conduct make-up classes, Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara said.
The Department of Education (DepEd) reported that as of 3 p.m. Monday, 841 schools in the National Capital Region, Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos) suspended classes.
Some schools sustained flood damage, while others were being used as evacuation sites for people forced to flee their homes.
HELLO Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara greets students of the Carmona National High School and Elementary in Cavite, which he visited on the first day of classes on July 29, 2024. PHOTO BY MIKE ALQUINTO
In an interview with reporters in Carmona City, Angara said make-up classes would have to be held in some areas where classes remain suspended due to damage caused by the southwest monsoon and Typhoon “Carina.”
Angara said the schools that suspended classes make up only 2 percent of schools in the country.
“I’m saddened that we have to postpone the opening of classes in some areas, but we understand that the rains were still heavy. We see that only a few parts of Laguna were affected,” he said.
Some schools will resume classes immediately after repairs are made, he said.
Affected schools in Malabon City expect to open on July 31, and those in Marikina and Valenzuela cities on August 5.
The DepEd said 20.6 million learners are enrolled for school year 2024-2025, of which 11.3 million are in elementary, 6.2 million in junior high school, 2.9 million in senior high school, and 222,067 under the alternative learning system.
Angara said he was confident that enrollment would pick up in the coming weeks as enrollment continues until September.
He noted that among the challenges this school year was the shifting schedules of Grades 9 and 10 students, which he said were “less than ideal.”
He said school principals were trying to complete these shifts to make sure that a learner’s school day would be complete.
He also said that he aims to finish all the validation studies of all school sites by December so that construction of additional school buildings can begin by January next year.
Angara said he would also have to address the shortage of teachers in specialized subjects like science after some principals told him that some teachers were teaching the subject even if it was not their major subject.
Grade 4 student Jezimaya Irlanbez and mother Rose leaves the Biñan Elementary School on July 29, 2024, after the local government suspended the first day of classes due to inclement weather. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Grade 4 student Jezimaya Irlanbez and mother Rose leaves the Biñan Elementary School on July 29, 2024, after the local government suspended the first day of classes due to inclement weather. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Grade 4 student Jezimaya Irlanbez and mother Rose leaves the Biñan Elementary School on July 29, 2024, after the local government suspended the first day of classes due to inclement weather. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Grade 4 student Jezimaya Irlanbez and mother Rose leaves the Biñan Elementary School on July 29, 2024, after the local government suspended the first day of classes due to inclement weather. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Grade 4 student Jezimaya Irlanbez and mother Rose leaves the Biñan Elementary School on July 29, 2024, after the local government suspended the first day of classes due to inclement weather. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Grade 4 student Jezimaya Irlanbez and mother Rose leaves the Biñan Elementary School on July 29, 2024, after the local government suspended the first day of classes due to inclement weather. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
Grade 4 student Jezimaya Irlanbez and mother Rose leaves the Biñan Elementary School on July 29, 2024, after the local government suspended the first day of classes due to inclement weather. PHOTOS BY MIKE ALQUINTO
“The institutions that are helping us with teacher training will be needed. In case we do not have any substitutions, at least they should teach the subjects that they were given to them,” Angara said.
ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro urged the Marcos administration to scrap or suspend the Matatag curriculum, noting that it could lead to an excessive workload for teachers.
“We cannot, in good conscience, implement a system that threatens to compromise the quality of education and the well-being of our educators,” Castro said.
She said the implementation of the curriculum comes at a time when the education sector grapples with chronic shortages in classrooms, teachers, and learning materials, which were aggravated by the recent calamity.
“Our teachers are being asked to do more with less. They’re expected to adapt to this new curriculum while simultaneously addressing learning gaps from the pandemic and coping with inadequate resources. This is simply not feasible,” Castro said.
She said Angara needed to focus first on addressing the issues plaguing the education system, such as insufficient funding, lack of resources and better support for teachers.
Be the first to comment