'Teachers are not machines': Solon hits August 23 school year opening
MANILA, Philippines — (Updated 6:40 p.m.) A lawmaker representing teachers hit on Wednesday the Department of Education's plan to open next school year two weeks early that would see the summer break shorter as a result.
Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said that the agency is eyeing an August 23 reopening, as first reported by ABS-CBN News and later on by The STAR.
This would mean a cut from the usual two-month break to six weeks, which the official said they hope would not be hard despite the pandemic.
In a statement, Rep. France Castro (ACT Teachers' party list) said they have been waiting for DepEd's plans on a possible safe reopening of schools. All it has showed so far, she said, is adjusting the school calendar without addressing problems under the current setup.
"Our teachers are not machines," she said in Filipino. "They are enduring the lack of sick leave benefits, making the ends meet with small pay to address needs under distance learning, and yet their time for vacation will be taken and will not be compensated enough for it."
The present school year is set to end by July 10, after it was extended to a month by DepEd, citing the need for more time for students to complete requirements.
As a result, teachers appealed for additional pay for the extra working days they will have to render. Undersecretary Jesse Mateo, who handles human resources, said they will still have to talk to the Department of Budget and Management as well as the Civil Service Commission for this.
Castro urged DepEd to uphold teachers and students' rights and welfare, as she said the agency's push to continue schooling amid the pandemic "is already taking a toll on the metal and physical health of our public school teachers."
"Work-from-home arrangements for teachers do not follow the eight-hour workday rule," the lawmaker said. "There is no actual academic ease for teachers due to the numerous paperwork and additional tasks that the modular approach requires from them."
San Antonio sought to make clear that this is not yet final. In a message to Philstar.com, he said it would be better to wait for Education Secretary Leonor Briones' announcement if DepEd will propose anew limited in-person classes.
President Rodrigo Duterte said he may consider this by August when vaccinations are already underway, after twice rejecting proposals and shelving an earlier approved pilot study.
Groups such as the Philippine Business for Education have sought for a safe return to schools, as they warned that difficulties under the setup will badly affect students and the quality of their learning in the long run.
"We need an immediate response to the learning crisis in our country," said PBED Executive Director Love Basillote in a statement on Wednesday. "The longer we wait for our schools to open, the heavier the losses will be for our students and the economy." — Christian Deiparine, with reports from The STAR/Janvic Mateo
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