AMID the Department of Education’s preparations for the new school year, a teachers’ group asked the Duterte administration to help make the shift to blended learning effective.

“This can’t be done by DepEd alone… material commitment from the national government is indispensable,” said the Alliance of Concerned Teachers.

ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio also called on President Rodrigo Duterte to provide additional funding for safety measures under the new normal education.

“We hereby call on President Duterte to provide needed resources for the safe reopening of schools, which entails an aggressive medical approach to combat the pandemic and the funding of safety measures to prevent further outbreak among frontliners in essential government services,” Basilio said.

Basilio reiterated the need for laptops and gadgets for students and teachers.

“Urgent needs include laptops for every teacher, gadgets for students, one is to one module to student ratio, internet allowance, and enhancement of internet connectivity in the entire country,” he added.

He cited Article 14 which states that “the State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.”