Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 27) — The chairman of the Senate committee on basic education believes it’s time for some students to return to their classrooms for better learning.
At a media forum hosted by the Liga ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas, Inc. on Thursday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian proposed the resumption of traditional face-to-face classes in areas with little to no coronavirus transmission. The Department of Education eyes Aug. 23 as the start of school year 2021-2022.
READ: Half-day rule to be implemented once face-to-face classes are allowed
“Habang papalapit po ang Agosto e tingnan natin kung kaya na pero ako, ang aking itinutulak ay magkaroon ng face to face this coming bagong school year,” Gatchalian said.
[Translation: As August draws near, let’s see if we can do it but what I am pushing for is to have face-to-face classes this coming school year.]
To pave the way for the return of physical classes, Gatchalian is calling on the government to start vaccinating more adult members of the general public by June, to be followed by teenagers or students. The inoculation drive has prioritized health workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities. Next in line are the economic frontliners or essential workers, but there’s no green light from the government yet.
“Pagtapos po nitong general public adults, ay pumunta na tayo sa mga bata. Dahil maraming bata gusto nang magpabakuna lalo na ‘yung mga magulang nila dahil paano natin papapasukin ‘yung mga bata kung hindi po ligtas ‘yung kanilang kalusugan,” Gatchalian said.
[Translation: After the adult members of the general public, let’s vaccinate the children. A lot of them want to get vaccinated especially their parents because how can we allow the children to go to school if their health is not assured?]
According to the Department of Finance, about ₱20 billion will be needed for the COVID-19 shots of some 15 million Filipinos aged 12 to 17, who are mostly in high school.
In December last year, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the pilot implementation of basic education face-to-face classes in areas considered at low risk for COVID-19. He recalled the order due to the threat of the more transmissible variant from the United Kingdom. The country is now facing several other variants of concern.
At the tertiary level, a number of medical schools have been allowed to hold limited physical classes for hands-on training and laboratory classes.
