DepEd sees ‘manageable’ school opening

Today’s opening of classes in elementary schools nationwide is expected to be "manageable" and relatively orderly, Education Secretary Edilberto de Jesus said yesterday.

It helps, De Jesus said, that the opening of classes for public elementary and high school students was set a week apart.

The 2004-2005 school-year will open with about 12.1 million elementary pupils flooding public schools and 926,000 going to private schools, the Department of Education (DepEd) projected.

In high school, an estimated 5.3 million students are expected at the opening of classes, which the DepEd has set on June 21.

De Jesus said they are all set for the coming school-year.

"We are ready. Of course, we have no option but to be ready," De Jesus told The STAR last Friday.

The 115,000-strong Philippine National Police has been placed on nationwide heightened alert for the start of classes, while the transportation department has assured the public it will tighten security in all transportation facilities for commuting students.

While classes in secondary schools have not yet started, high school teachers and other school personnel will be tapped to assist in today’s opening of classes, De Jesus said.

"We’ll have more people monitoring the school opening," he said.

Having separate school openings will benefit parents who have children in both elementary and high school, DepEd officials said.

De Jesus said this will alleviate "cash flow" problems of parents who are sending to school several children in different levels.

Apart from logistical reasons, the later date set for the opening of classes in the high school level was done to make way for the "bridge program" for incoming freshman students.

The program entailed incoming freshmen to take the High School Readiness Test last May 24. Performance in the test will decide whether examinees will go straight to freshman level or go through a year of "bridge" education where they will be given more intensive instruction to improve their competencies in English, mathematics and science.

Criticisms have been raised on the DepEd’s "bridge program" with teachers, students and parents calling it illegal.

Teachers worry that the extra year would be an added burden to parents and students.

De Jesus, meanwhile, is hopeful that the DepEd’s "Brigada Eskwela" five-day campaign have arranged classrooms and schoolbuildings back in order after these were used as polling precincts during the May 10 national polls.

The campaign was conducted May 17 until the 21st when it was declared National School Maintenance Week.

For his part, Education Undersecretary Jose Luis Gascon said they expect the same problems to arise such as the lack of classrooms, teachers and textbooks once school starts.

But he assured the public that the department is all set to deal with the problems. "We are ready as we always are."

The DepEd has a budget of P109 billion for 2004, up by P3 billion from 2003’s P106 billion.

It has ordered that this schoolyear be made up of 205 school days for both elementary and secondary schools.