1st day of classes: Smooth; pre-pandemic issues remain
A photo taken during the opening of public school classes on Monday, August 22, at the Sapangdaku Elementary School in Cebu City. 📸 Contributed via Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The first day of school went smoothly but issues that have been plaguing the education sector, even before the COVID-19 pandemic came, remain.
Last Monday, August 22, over 1 million students in Central Visayas went back to their classrooms two years since the pandemic forced schools to implement distance learning.
The first day of resuming face-to-face classes in the region went smooth, said Dr. Salustiano Jimenez, director of the Department of Education in Central Visayas (DepEd-7).
“Generally smooth and orderly gyud and atong pagpahigayon sa opening of classes all throughout Central Visayas,” Jimenez told reporters in a phone interview.
However, Jimenez admitted that they are still facing challenges when it comes to facilitating education efficiently and effectively.
Some of these concerns included students who are still trying to readjust to the traditional style of learning while others have already surfaced even before COVID-19 became a pandemic in 2020 like the lack of classrooms.
DepEd-7, for their part, assured stakeholders that they have come up with ways to address these problems in the meantime.
“So far, makaya ra (sa atong classrooms ang influx of students)… Atong pamaagi kung kulang ang mga number of classrooms sa atong schools, naay shiftings – morning or afternoon sessions. With that maaddress ang shortage sa classrooms,” said Jimenez.
Typhoon Odette-related damages were among the primary reasons why some schools do not have enough classrooms to accommodate all of their students.
Based on previous reports, over 3,400 schools in Central Visayas, both public and private, are expected to resume in-person classes for the school year 2022 to 2023, albeit in a limited capacity.
All schools will return to face-to-face classes, at 100 percent capacity, this November.
In Central Visayas, Jimenez said, they are aiming to have 1.8 million students enrolled for this academic year. He also said they are confident in reaching the target with enrollment still ongoing in most schools.
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