KABATAAN Partylist Rep. Sarah Jane Elago took to task Commission on Higher Education Chairman Prospero de Vera for declaring that the agency will ditch the old mode of teaching because flexible learning is the new normal.

The lawmaker pointed out that students, teachers and parents are waiting for the resumption of safe physical classes because of the problems encountered in distance learning.

“We maintain that this is nothing but CHED explicitly ignoring the demand of the students, teachers and parents for a safe return to face-to-face classes. This is gross negligence of duty to the education sector,” Elago said.

She added that millions of students did not re-enroll, and teachers and students continue to struggle with internet problems.

“De Vera’s move to commit to this new normal in education means that the Duterte administration has chosen to turn a blind eye to those problems,” she said.

The lawmaker dismissed De Vera’s argument that new competencies and technologies will be wasted in the older form of learning.

“If implemented well under the supervision of a government that truly ensures the right of the youth to education, new technologies and innovation in learning can complement face-to-face classes,” Elago said.

“If CHED truly wants students and teachers to perform better, it should support calls to provide student and teacher subsidies and to allocate funding for the safe return to face-to-face classes. We must hold CHED and Duterte administration accountable for the continued neglect of the youth and the oppressed masses,” she added.