THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers urged President Rodrigo Duterte to “stop being the hindrance to safe school reopening” and approve the limited face-to-face classes in 120 schools listed by the Department of Health.

The group decried Duterte’s ineptitude in pushing forward the resumption of a “long overdue” in-classroom learning and emphasized the need for a concrete plan of action by the Department of Education to ensure the safety and well-being of students and teachers once schools have reopened.

“There is no doubt that we cannot further delay the resumption of in-classroom learning. We have seen how grave the learning loss is among our youth in just a year, we cannot afford to postpone the reopening of schools any longer than we already have,” Raymond Basilio, the group’s secretary general, said.

More than 47,000 public schools are set to start classes on September 13, 2021 using distance learning modalities.

“We are sick of hearing Duterte’s pretentious claims of protecting the students by locking up our schools. These are pitiful excuses for his abandonment of the education sector amid the pandemic,” Basilio said.

He added that ACT has submitted its recommendations to the DepEd multiple times to help the agency prepare and ensure the safe, gradual resumption of limited and voluntary face-to-face classes in low-risk areas.

The proposal includes science-based and evidence-based risk assessment of schools, installation of health and sanitation facilities, retrofitting of classrooms, hiring of school health personnel, mass testing for teachers and learners, and reduction of class size and implementation of minimum health standards.

“The DepEd must act fast to set out a concrete plan of action on how to safely conduct the resumption of in-classroom learning this school year, based on the lessons and mistakes of the past year. What has the agency done to secure sufficient funding from Duterte to prepare the schools and address the problems experienced under distance learning?” Basilio asked.

He said that the 14.7 million students who enrolled for School Year 2021-2022 proves that the youth are persistent in continueling their education despite the grueling circumstances.

“Our students are determined to learn. Without concrete and grounded solutions, how can the government assure that their right to safe, quality, and accessible education is fulfilled?” Basilio said.

ACT was alarmed by a memorandum issued by DepEd Region V which directed schools in the region to start printing the Alternative Delivery Mode Self-Learning Modules for School Year 2021-2022 by themselves due to the “possible delay” of the release of the SMILE Learner’s Packets.

The group said that what was alarming was the memo’s mention of a 1:2 module to student ratio, indicating that a single module will be shared by two students.

“It is very alarming how complacent the government is in addressing the problems faced by the education sector. The government needs to step up and do their job to ensure that every Filipino youth’s right to education is fulfilled. We need concrete plans and actions from Duterte and Briones on how they will deliver safe, quality, and accessible education for all at siguraduhin na hindi na muling mauulit ang kapalpakan nang nakaraang taon,” Basilio said.