Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 13) — Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Monday declared that last year’s distance learning was successful as over 24.6 million public school students return to online classes due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in the country.
“Today, we are opening the School Year 2021-2022 as we celebrate last year’s victory. The challenges we are facing now are even tougher than those we battled last year,” Briones said during the virtual school opening program.
“We open classes today in celebration of our victories and successes,” she added.
The Philippines is among the five countries that have not reopened schools since the COVID-19 pandemic started, the United Nations Children’s Fund earlier reported.
If the Duterte administration would continue to halt in-person classes, this could lead to trillions of pesos in lost productivity in the decades ahead, the National Economic and Development Authority warned.
READ: NEDA: Prolonged school closures could lead to trillions in losses
Briones said the challenges were part of the process, stressing that the government prepared learning facilities and provided teachers and non-teaching staff with salary hikes, benefits, and devices.
In a Palace briefing on Monday, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the proposed pilot run of face-to-face classes received “positive reaction” from President Rodrigo Duterte, but he has yet to finalize his decision.
Meanwhile, Education Undersecretary Revsee Escobedo said the Department of Education is extending the enrollment period until September 30.
“Magpapalabas tayo ng memorandun na kung saan ang DepEd ay tatanggap ng enrollees hanggang Sept. 30, 2021. Umaasa tayo na sa buwan na ito, mahihigitan natin ang numero ng enrollment natin noong School Year 2020 to 2021,” Escobedo said.
[Translation: We will issue a memorandum stating that DepEd will accept enrollees until Sept. 30, 2021. We hope that this month, we will surpass our enrollment number in School Year 2020 to 2021.]
Around 26.2 million learners enrolled last school year.
