Robredo urges DepEd to be proactive with education problem during pandemic

Citing her frustration over the missed opportunity in addressing the education system during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vice President Leni Robredo called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to be proactive in solving the issues of learners and teachers.

In her weekly radio program, Robredo said she agreed with the government's decision not to hold physical classes for now because the highly infectious Delta variant was also affecting children.

But in the past, Robredo argued that the Education Department could have opened schools

"Pero sa akin, 'yung nakalipas na isa't kalahating taon, missed opportunity iyon. 'Yung wala pa 'yung Delta variant, sobrang daming LGUs na all over the Philippines na walang cases," she said in her weekly radio program.

(For me, in the past year, this is a missed opportunity. When the Delta variant did not exist, there were many LGUs all over the Philippines that did not report cases.)

She added that those in poor communities were the most affected by the suspension of physical classes.

The DepEd revealed that it had crafted guidelines for reopening classes amid the pandemic, but the plan still awaits President Rodrigo Duterte's approval

Robredo, meanwhile, said most teachers that she interacted with wanted face-to-face classes because they are worried about their students, who are having difficulties in the blended mode of learning.

With this, Robredo said DepEd should become proactive and explain to Duterte that there should be a policy for children and teachers who could not keep up with the distance learning amid the pandemic.

"Ang sa akin lang, kung mas proactive lang sana ang DepEd dito na wag lang na dahil nagsabi si Presidente. Dapat ipakita nila na hindi naman puwede na one size fits all. Pero 'pag sinabing resigned na lang tayo na sige 'wag natin buksan, hindi natin iniisip 'yung mga bata," said Robredo.

(For me, if DepEd is proactive about this that it is not just acting upon instructions of the President. They should show him that it is not okay to have a one size fits all policy. But if we just let schools close, we are not thinking about the welfare of our children.)

After a World Bank study showed that 80% of Filipino schoolchildren are below minimum proficiency levels, Robredo had asked the government to fix the deficiencies in the education system, which was already under crisis.

But Education Secretary Leonor Briones opposed the call to declare an education crisis, arguing that it was unfair to blame these problems on the current administration after more than 100 years of the DepEd's existence.  — DVM, GMA News