KABATAAN Partylist Representative Sarah Jane Elago has filed a measure that will ensure the safe reopening of schools.

In her proposed Safe Schools Reopening bill, Elago said that it is the declared policy of the State to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education and take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all.

Her bill seeks to provide the framework and funding for the safe and phased reopening of schools.

She lamented that the abrupt shift to remote learning and teaching has magnified the income and digital divide among students, teachers and all other stakeholders, thereby making quality education largely inaccessible.

“The prolonged school closures and never-ending lockdowns have affected not just learning and teaching, it has also taken a toll on mental health and the total well-being,” Elago said.

“Children have suffered immensely from learning loss. Clearly, we are facing a major learning crisis as much as we are in a major health crisis,” she added.

“This representation, along with Rise for Education Alliance, Student Aid Network, and various sectors of society, call on Congress to allocate sufficient budget to address these demands, and for Malacañang to certify this bill as urgent and other much-needed, long overdue ‘ayuda’ or relief measures,” Elago stressed.