Chiz Welcomes Resumption of In-Person Classes; Says Move to Address Learning Poverty in PH
Senatorial candidate and Sorsogon Gov. Chiz Escudero welcomed today President Rodrigo Duterte’s order calling for the resumption of face-to-face classes across the country, which is part of the administration’s 10-point policy agenda meant to hasten the recovery of the pandemic-weary economy.
Since last year, Escudero has been pushing for the return to in-person classes in areas where COVID-19 infections were low, like Sorsogon where more than 55 percent of the barangays were coronavirus-free, citing studies that showed that remote learning was not effective as it should be.
“Sang-ayon at suportado ko ang kautusang ito ni Pangulong Duterte sa panunumbalik ng face-to-face classes sa buong bansa. Higit sa economic recovery, ito ang tamang direksyon at solusyon upang muling matutukan ng ating mga guro ang maayos na pag-aaral ng ating mga estudyante,” said Escudero, a veteran lawmaker.
President Duterte laid down the plans for economic recovery under Executive Order No. 166 which he signed on March 21, which outlines areas, including resumption of face-to-face learning, for reopening and expansion in order to accelerate the recovery of the local economy waylaid by the public health crisis.
“Umaasa tayo na sa pagbabalik sa mga classrooms ng mga mag-aaral ay makahabol sila, muling makasabay at hindi na mapag-iiwanan ng mga estudyante sa ibang bansa na matagal nang nagbalik-paaralan,” Escudero said.
According to the World Bank report, “Remote Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Today,” remote learning only covered 20 percent of the Philippines when the government imposed one of the strictest and longest lockdowns in the world, leaving out many students who were ill-equipped and not ready for this arrangement.
In the Philippines, according to the report, learning poverty rose to as much as 90 percent in August 2021. But pre-pandemic, it was already at 69.5 percent.
Learning poverty, according to World Bank, is the share of 10-yeard-old children who are unable to read nor understand a simple story. The report also noted that Filipino students are also among the worst in math and science.
“I do not believe they are poor learners but because they have a poor learning environment and may not have the support they need to focus on their studies. We have to address this crisis in education, and bringing them back to school is a good start and the right direction,” Escudero said.
As of March 2022, the Department of Education (DepEd) said there are 10,196 basic education schools—9,994 public schools and 212 private schools—which have implemented the limited face-to-face classes.
More than 14,396 public and private schools, which host more than 2.6 million learners, from across the country have been nominated for progressive expansion phase of limited in-person classes after they were validated to be compliant with the School Safety Assessment Tool set out by DepEd. #
