YOUTH and students from various campuses and communities are expected to mobilize for the State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. on Monday.

Youth groups are set to hold a demonstration at the Commission on Higher Education in Quezon City before proceeding to the SONA venue.

Members of the youth sector said that the education crisis and unchecked inflation rates are too pressing for any security risk to deter their participation.

“Rain or shine, maximum or minimum tolerance, the nation can expect the youth to turn out in force this coming Monday,” John Lazaro, SPARK national coordinator, said.

“We have suffered under an education catastrophe for two years, and it is high time that action is taken for it to end,” he added.

The group cited the staggering number of dropouts, the subpar education received under the blended learning scheme and the atomization of the youth which led to multiple mental health failures. They added that the administration must also address the growing trend of universities closing down.

“The Marcos administration cannot just declare a return to face-to-face classes and leave everything else up to chance,” Pat Camus, Student Regent of the Bulacan State University, said.

“Ultimately, the cost of reopening schools should be shouldered not by the students, teachers, or parents who have already been wrung dry by the pandemic, but by the government,” she added.

The youth leaders called on the government to muster the political will to  resolve the education crisis.

“It is now the new administration’s task to show us how serious they are about resolving this crisis,” Lazaro said.

“Too many people have died, too much has been lost, and too much time has been wasted for all of their rhetoric to be just bark with no bite,” he said.