Parents, teachers in Barili: Limited face-to-face still a concern

This empty seats of a school will soon be occupied by students if the proposed holding of limited face-to-face classes will be approved by the President. | CDN Digital file photo

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — An officer of a Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) Federation in the town of Barili in southwestern Cebu has expressed the group’s concern on the risks of students should limited face-to-face classes will be approved.

Candugay Barangay Councilor Angelito Fat, who is also the president of PTA Federation in the town of Barili, told CDN Digital that based on his discussions with other parents, majority had expressed that they were not yet ready for the implementation.

It can be recalled that the Department of Education (DepEd) earlier said they would prioritize the first key stage from Kindergarten to Grade 3 in low risk areas, should President Rodrigo Duterte approve the pilot run.

Though they had no idea yet if the schools in the town would be part of the implementation, the councilor noted that students under this stage were not yet vaccinated, which would pose a high risk amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

While teachers expressed readiness for the possible implementation, Fat said it was a total opposite on the part of the parents, stressing that students under this stage would need to be watched by their respective parents or guardians.

“Kanang mga Kinder to Grade 3, mga bantayanan baya kaayo na sila. Okay ra tingali kon naa gyud ang parents momonitor.  Ug wala, risgo gyud kaayo kay di baya kapugong atong mga teachers. Unya og maggawas-gawas,” said Fat.

(Those kids from Kindergarten to Grade 3, they require monitoring. It would be okay if the parents are there to monitor them. And if there aren’s any, it would be big risk because the teachers would find it hard to monitor them all. And what if they will go out their classes every now and then.)

The PTA Federation president, however, clarified that he was not against the face-to-face classes considering that students would be taught properly when they would be in school.

“Okay man gyud na unta kay matudloan gyud ang atong mga bata. Kay pinaagi aning mga printed module, ang uban magsalig ra nga ilahang modules answeran sa mga ginikanan. Ako parent man pod ko, naa gyud na parents dili kaantigo sa modules, lahi gyud kon naa sa eskwelahan atong mga bata,” Fat added.

(It would okay in a way because the kids would be guided and taught. Because this printed modules, some of those children would just depend on their parents to answer the modules. I am also a parent and I know that there are parents who really don’t know anything about the modules. It is different with the children going really to school.)

Meanwhile, Danny Deparine, a public school teacher in the town of Balamban, has expressed the same concern as he himself handles Kindergarten students.

Apart from the lack of equipment such as air purifier, Deparine said they were also afraid for possible COVID-19 transmission in the class, citing that they would not be aware as to where their students or families came from.

“That is one of our problems also in regards to the Kindergarten. Mao sad na among gikagul-an isip usa ka Kindergarten teacher nga maglisod mi in the future kon tugutan nga there will be face-to-face classes ug unsaon namo pag-control sa mga bata,” he said, stressing that he only knew of the proposed implementation on social media.

(This is one of our problems also in regard to the Kindergarten. That is one of our worries as a Kindergarten teacher that it would difficult in the future if face-to-face classes would be allowed and how can we control the children.)

The public school teacher, however, said that they would agree and support the plan should there be proper guidelines in order to control the students.

“Mo-okay mi ana kon limited lang jud ang bata. For example, there must be five children ra inside the classroom, murag ma-control-control rana namo kay ang maximum before is 25 pupils per class in a kindergarten for 6 hours,” he said.

(We will be okay with that if there would only be limited children. For example, there must only be five children inside the classroom, then perhaps, we can control that because the maximum before is 25 pupils per class in a kindergarten for 6 hours.)

But in general, Deparine said they were all set for the opening of school year on Monday, September 13.

He said they had prepared their printed modules, the mode of which was used by the majority, intended for two weeks.

Despite that, Deparine urged the Department of Education to continue on with providing them with the equipment or materials needed for the blended learning such as printers and bond papers.

He said other donated equipment last school year could no longer be used.

DepEd Central Visayas Director Salustiano Jimenez earlier said that he was optimistic that the president would allow the implementation of the limited face-to-face, stressing that the Department had been backed up by the medical experts and the Department of Health (DOH).

As of Friday, September 10, Jimenez said they had endorsed around 52 schools mostly in hinterlands or low risk areas for the planned implementation.

While the central office initially identified around 120 schools throughout the country, the regional director said the number would still be subject to change depending on the COVID-19 situation in the area, which was why all schools in the are being prepared.

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