24.7m Filipino students return to school today
MANILA: A total of 24.7 million elementary and high school students are to resume classes on Monday for the new schoolyear 2020-2021 under a sharply revamped educational system highlighted by online and distance learning programme arising from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
But education officials warned the resumption would leave behind what they feared was a “lost generation” composed of more than three million students who failed to enroll mainly for lack of funds because their parents lost their jobs or had their incomes sharply reduced due to COVID-19.
Enrollment data from the Department of Education ( Deped) showed that the 24.7 million students enrolled for their basic education for the new schoolyear represented 80.02 per cent of the 27.7 million student population in 2019.
While this exceeded earlier government projection of 80 per cent, Deped said the number would translate to about three million students who may have dropped out from the school system.
Most of the students who remained unaccounted, Deped said, were from the private schools where only 2.16 million, or 52.32 per cent of last year’s student population, have enrolled so far.
On the other hand, enrollment in public schools has already reached 22.5 million, or 99.66 per cent of last year’s, and this includes about 400,000 transferees from the private schools, Deped added.
But Alberto Muyot, a former Deped official and now the head of Save the Children Philippines, said the country was not alone with this problem, saying that worldwide about 10 million children from poor households, including those with disabilities and living in marginalised areas.
“Children’s rights to continue learning is critical amid the pandemic and must be fulfilled not only through access to online technology but the support ofparents,caregiversandcommunities,”muyotsaid.
Resumption of classes have been reset to Oct.5 to enable the government to prepare for the online and distance learning programme adopted to prevent face-to-face classes especially among the young students to help prevent their infection by the virus.
Education Secretary Diosdado San Antonio assured they are ready for the resumption of classes especially for contingencies as he told a TV interview: “Nationwide, 59 per cent of students will use printed module, 20 per cent online and another 20 per cent offline, digital, TV and radio will be supplemented so it will be blended learning in other areas.”