A FEDERATION of private schools said the government should be held accountable if a student dies of Covid19 if it pushes through with the implementation of in-person learning

“Face-to-face classes can wait even in lower risk areas. The question here is the liability of the leader who shall implement it. Who is willing to face responsibility if one kid dies because he is infected while in school? The teacher or the principal? What about DepEd [Department of Education]? Or, Senator [Sherwin] Gatchalian?” Eleazardo Kasilag, president of the Federation of Associations of Private Schools Administrators, said in a statement.

“Stop asking people if they favor face-to-face classes, of course, if asked between face-to-face and online, automatically it is the former but if the question is about face-to-face during pandemic, it is foolish even to compare that. That is life vs. learning. We cannot even bring them to the hospitals; they are full, medicines for Covid cost million,” Kasilag added.

UNICEF claims the Philippines and Venezuela are the 2 countries in the world that have not held in-person classes.

“’Di bale na, tayo naman may pinakamaraming magaganda at malulusog na tao. Sa mayayamang bansa, tambak ang nagkakandamatay, ‘pag nagpa-pogi tayo, mas matindi problema,” Kasilag said.

“Even doctors are quitting their posts in the hospitals due to fear of contamination and they are already fully covered,” he added.

Kasilag said those who subscribe to in-person learning must be brave enough to say that they will be responsible if something bad happens.

“I know education is now regarded fourth in our parents’ priority after food, health and surprisingly, bills for Meralco, water; come before school especially school is online. In fact, even in public schools, of 27 million students last year, it is down to 24.6 million, short of 2,400,000. These parents do not want to risk their children,” Kasilag said.