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Department of Ghosting

Sep 12, 2020
4 min read

Unprepared. Uncooperative. Unresponsive. These are just some of the words to describe the Department of Education (DepEd) in this new normal.

During the entire month of August, teachers have been continuously voicing out their concerns regarding the plans of DepEd for this academic year. They have pointed out the loopholes of DepEd's operations and have concluded that the entire education sector is not ready. Teachers' Dignity Coalition (TDC) National Chairperson Benjo Basas argued that DepEd kept on assuring "readiness," but they have not yet taken action on the problems that teachers are now experiencing. Hence, they become their own hindrances.

For the past few months, DepEd has been partnering with different companies and organizations to equip the teachers with what they need to know about blended learning. They gave webinars to ensure that these teachers would know what to do during online classes. However, does it all stop in learning from these webinars?

The teachers are now aware of what to do. The real question is, does DepEd know what to do after these webinars?

Based on the survey conducted by DepEd, 13% of the teachers in the country still do not have gadgets to conduct the online classes, as stated by DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan. If the mode of learning would be online, then these gadgets are a must-have. These tools must be the first priority. Furthermore, out of all the teachers who have gadgets, more than half have a problem with the stability of their internet connection. A fraction of this also includes those teachers who do not have an internet provider.

Last June, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines requested a P1,500 monthly internet allowance for public school teachers. Then, Malaluan replied that DepEd would be reviewing the allocation for the budget in response to this concern, but only after three months did DepEd clarify their stand. DepEd Undersecretary Anne Sevilla said that there is no need for allowance since there is also no basis for the allocation. If DepEd is not going to aid the teachers who have concerns with the internet, then their purpose of implementing online learning becomes vague, as it will only give them difficulty in achieving their goals. They implemented a plan without considering that generally, the internet connection in the country is weak.

For the teachers and students who cannot join online classes, DepEd has included learning modules and kits as part of blended learning. These materials would also pave the way for students to learn at their own pace. However, as of August, teachers from different schools complained that they still do not have these materials.

The school division offices were in-charge of printing and distributing these materials, but even if they have started their operations since July, they ran out of time, which is also one of the reasons why the opening of classes was rescheduled. The ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio said that these division offices were having a hard time printing the materials because of the insufficient budget for their production. Only half of the school division offices were halfway in finishing the printing, and the other half was not yet halfway done, according to DepEd Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio. Because of this, schools printed their own materials, which are aligned with last year's lessons, and some teachers asked for donations of papers online. After this concern has only been raised, DepEd confirmed that they have additional funds for the production. In this case, the allocation of the budget of DepEd was not enough for the needed number of learning materials, and they would later announce that they still have a budget for it. Thus, they are the main reason why the opening of classes was rescheduled.

While only a few learning materials have been distributed to different schools, the transmission of COVID-19 is still possible among teachers. Apparently, the ACT Philippines and TDC have reported that there are teachers who tested positive for the virus. The reporting of teachers in schools also caused some of these cases.

Secretary General Basilio complained that DepEd declined to screen the teachers before physically reporting. The TDC has also asked DepEd to provide support for those teachers, but DepEd said that they did not allocate any budget for those teachers to be treated. Undersecretary Sevilla confirmed that the budget of DepEd for COVID medication was not "present or appropriated." Moreover, DepEd has not yet released the data regarding the number of teachers with COVID-19, as it is continuously increasing as of the moment. With all these, it is evident that DepEd has no plans to save their teachers from the virus. They would not care if the teachers would risk their lives by reporting to schools for them to get copies of the learning materials.

What the teachers need right now is support from DepEd. They also did not expect what was going to happen in the world, but there is nothing they can do but to face it. Therefore, they will continue to teach the students. However, this will not be possible if the one who planned all the activities for the academic year will not work hand in hand with the teachers.

The DepEd should align the allocation of the P29-billion budget with the concerns of the teachers. The students are not only their priority. Before a student learns, there would always be a teacher who would pass that knowledge. If the teachers cannot teach, then blended learning loses its purpose. Also, if they cannot support the teachers, then the entire education sector should not be considered ready. Since the opening of classes was rescheduled, DepEd must utilize the time to solve all the problems. They must correct their mistakes and not escape from them. The hopes of the future depend on their actions, and now is not the time to be a failure to them.