A MILITANT teachers’ group called on the Department of Education to disclose in detail funding needs and concerns to ensure the safe reopening of schools and delivery of accessible quality education on October 5.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers made the remark following the agency’s statement that ‘procedural considerations’ restrict their means.

The group said a ‘clear breakdown of costs’ will be instrumental as ACT poises to lobby for bigger education allotment through the Bayanihan 2 and supplemental budget.

“In the interest of fulfilling the youth’s right to education, we urge DepEd to be transparent and reveal exactly how much more budget the agency needs to ensure a successful learning continuity starting October 5. Similarly, which of their present funds are they not able to realign due to policy constraints? We strongly encourage DepEd to sincerely endeavor in ensuring sufficient resources to amply prepare for school opening,” Raymond Basilio, the group’s secretary general, said in a statement.

Basilio added that the ongoing deliberations of the Bayanihan 2 is an opportune venue to push the national government to include in its pandemic response provisions for education—a basic right and key social service that the government must ensure regardless of the pandemic.

ACT reiterated that the biggest roadblock to school opening is the lack of budgetary support from the national government.

“The first Bayanihan did nothing to prepare the public education system for the drastic measures it had to undertake due to the health crisis—which factored greatly in the two-time postponement of class resumption. Hence, DepEd should ensure that the critical step of gathering enough resources to finally enable the October 5 opening. We expect DepEd to be at the frontlines of calling for greater subsidy now that Bayanihan II is on the table, and not let more corrupt officials steal any more from the people,” Basilio said.

The group recalled that no less than Education Leonor Secretary Briones once figured as a strong voice against plunder and corruption in past administrations.

With the worsening socio-economic conditions in the country, the group asserted that there is no better, more urgent time than now to ensure that the country’s resources benefit the people through accessible and quality services.

“We can’t fathom Secretary Briones’ claims on supposed ‘laws of economics’ that indicate that resources will always be short, especially not when we know for a fact that billions of the people’s money have been going to corruption. What we do understand is the laws enshrined in the constitution that the government is duty-bound to fund education. For that, we need concrete figures: how much more funds does DepEd need to establish enough health measures at schools, to support the treatment of infected personnel, to ensure enough modules for each learner, to provide needed tech infrastructures for online classes, among others?,” Basilio furthered.

ACT demanded that the Secretary along with top DepEd officials ‘grab and exhaust’ all opportunities to forward the demands of the sector, “just as we teachers and staff consistently do.”

The group added that the delivery of education amid the mounting crises falls not only on DepEd and Commission on Higher Education, but on the entire Duterte administration who is responsible for the current state of the country.