THE ALLIANCE  of Concerned Teachers has called on the Department of Education to integrate Covid19 and pandemic education in the curriculum for the coming school year.

The ACT said that the education department’s claim that there is ample health literacy “embedded in various subjects” should be reviewed and revised to include vital health information on the health crisis the world is facing.

“It cannot be overstated that education must be relevant, by means of reflecting and responding to social realities. Covid19/pandemic education is—to borrow DepEd’s words—an ‘essential competency’ that needs to be deeply integrated in core subjects. Health courses and all other subjects for that matter should not be taught as though they exist in vacuums, lest we risk alienating learners from their experience and survival,” Raymond Basilio, the group’s secretary general, said.

ACT said that DepEd’s complacency and the lack of Covid19 lessons in the curriculum may result in millions of students contributing to the virus spread.

Basilio noted that learning materials such as self-learning modules failed to include discussions on Covid19, except in some locally produced modules in Metro Manila schools and divisions.

“The modicum of material we have on Covid19 and pandemic education seems to be more of an initiative of some teachers and local officials, rather than of DepEd. This is further evidenced by the absence of an official directive and decisive steps to ensure the seamless integration of such in the curriculum. Given that this health crisis affects nearly all cities and provinces in the country, DepEd’s national office should be leading the agency in ensuring that the country’s education system responds to our people’s needs, especially at this time of unrelenting crises,” Basilio said.

He criticized DepEd for its “blindness” not only to social realities that disadvantage the majority of its constituents, but also to education’s ultimate objective of equipping the youth with knowledge and skills to understand and better the society.

“Continuing to be oblivious to these pressing needs is tantamount to neglecting the youth and disregarding their potentials to contribute in our fight to surmount these crises. Hence, we reiterate our demand that DepEd ensure education’s social relevance starting with the development and incorporation of Covid19 and pandemic-related content to the curriculum,” Basilio said.