THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers called on the Commission on Audit and Congress to look into the Department of Education’s performance relative to the delivery of armchairs and learning materials.

ACT Bantay Balik-Eskwela Hotline monitored problems of insufficient chairs and teaching and learning materials, as well as confusion on which teaching guide and books will be used in the coming school year.

“We received reports on armchair shortage; that now monobloc chairs without armrests are what are being delivered in schools, and the supply is still not enough. In a school in La Union, teachers fight over monobloc chairs to secure enough supply for their classes. Paano makakapagsulat ang mga bata sa mga silyang walang patungan? Ganito katindi ang kawalan ng kahandaan ng pamahalaan sa pagbubukas ng klase,” Vladimer Quetua, the group’s chairperson, said.

“Habang malaki ang problema sa kakulangan ng klasrum at hindi maipinal ang gagamitin na learning modalities o ilang araw papasok ang mga bata para sa face-to-face classes, mas malalim na problema pa ang kawalan ng linaw sa ano ang ituturo at ano ang mga materyales na gagamitin. Paano tayo makakaahon sa learning crisis kung ganito? DepEd, anong petsa na? Kailan ninyo planong harapin ang mga problemang ito?” Quetua said.

“Somebody has to check DepEd’s grave inefficiency in delivering these important teachers’ and learners’ need. We hope that COA and the Congress can do a probe on this,” he added.

ACT’s school preparedness online survey among 1,022 teachers nationwide showed that 75 percent of teacher-respondents reported insufficient learning materials for their students’ use.

“Dahil sa kakulangan ng learning materials, ni hindi malinaw kung textbook ba o modules ang pangunahing gagamitin. Halo-halo pa rin ang available na modules na may nagmula sa DepEd Central Office o gawa ng rehiyon, dibisyon o paaralan na hindi pa buong nasusuri ang laman at kalidad. Ang tanging instruction ay ipamahagi kung ano ang naririyan. Problematiko ito dahil magkaiba ang laman ng textbook at modules. Ang textbook ay nakabatay sa orihinal na kurikulum ng K-12 samantalang ang modules ay nakabatay sa Most Essential Learning Competencies na ipinatupad sa distance learning. Alin ba talaga ang pag-aaralan ng mga bata? Ano ang ituturo ng mga guro?” Quetua said.

He added that textbooks are also lacking for Senior High School students.