THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers said that the Department of Education must immediately address the requirements for a safe 100 percent face-to-face classes.

ACT made the statement after President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. said that he plans to start a phased in-person schooling by September and a “100-percent attendance” by November.

“It would be hard for students, teachers and parents to all go to school and encounter another surge of Covid19, so we need to be careful and prepared. Also, based on the survey of the Movement for Safe, Equitable, Quality, and Relevant (SEQuRe) Education, on the initial face to face classes already held, the administration has a long way to go if they are to open all the schools for 100 percent face-to-face learning,” Vladimer Quetua, the group’s chairperson, said.

“According to the SEQure survey, government funding and support were ‘insufficient’ which compelled 59 to 83 percent of teacher-respondents to spend out-of-pocket to prepare schools and classrooms for safe reopening, while some important safety measures were still not sufficiently installed,”  he added.

ACT listed some requisites that need to be addressed to ensure a safe return to school of teachers and students.

The group proposed doubling schools’ maintenance and operating budget for proper and adequate ventilation/air flow of classrooms; installation of sufficient hand-washing facilities with water supply, operational clinic with adequate supplies and equipment, ample health and sanitation supplies and enforcement of health protocols.

The group is also pushing for the hiring of additional teachers to implement the ideal class size of maximum 35 students; employing nurses and utility personnel for every school; ensure health protection and benefits of teachers and non-teaching staff; aid for struggling families in the midst of the economic crisis; and conduct a learning assessment of students all over the country to guide the curriculum adjustments for the education recovery program.

“These are some of the requisites for a safe back-to-school program this  year because we need to address the  ‘old normal’ problems to enable a safe 100 percent school reopening,” Quetua said.