BARELY a week before classes start, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced that at least 338 public schools in Central Visayas are not fully ready to welcome back their students.
DepEd acting Regional Director Dr. Juliet Jeruta said that these schools either lack teachers, classrooms or utilities and are yet unable to deliver access and quality instruction to its learners.
“Kasi sa planning, may ginagawa silang criteria to indicate your readiness to the activity. Una, teacher allocation may teacher ba, enough ba. Ikalawa, classroom, may classroom ba baka makeshift. Ikatlo, may electricity ba kasi kahit araw pa yan may mga area shaded, gloomy.” Jeruta enumerated.
She also said other factors need to be considered such as facilities, learning materials used, safety and security of the students especially in schools with ongoing construction, and water and sanitation.
There is yet no data as to how many schools in Cebu are not fully ready for the resumption of classes.
OIC- Assistant Regional Director, Salustiano Jimemez said these schools lack only a portion of the services needed by the students and not across all aspects to be marked ready.
However, Jeruta emphasized that these schools can still operate and teach their students even with the deficiencies in their facilities.
Meanwhile, Cebu Province Schools Division Superintendent Rhea Mar Angtud said they anticipate a number of transferees from the private schools.
However, because they cannot estimate the number of expected transferees, they cannot also allocate the correct number of chairs, instructional materials and other needs because many of the transferees enroll late.
She said that if a school reports a certain increase in the number of enrollees, the request for additional classrooms can only be processed the following school year because the money for expenses like these have to be included in the DepEd budget next year. /Jaive Ria Z. Agbon, STC- Intern
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