SENATORS sitting in the Senate Committee on Basic Education tackled Friday a range of issues and possible options to reckon with both the urgent concerns over resumption of face-to-face classes on Monday, as well as a looming “education crisis.”
At the outset, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, committee chairman, vowed to pursue his agenda for “equitable access to quality education” as he presided over the committee’s organizational meeting.
Acknowledging an “education crisis” facing the country aggravated by prolonged school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Gatchalian noted “this causes an urgent need for the legislature to intensify its role in crafting policy recommendations and strategic solutions in initiating complementary and remedial legislation to avert such crisis and improve the quality of education.”
Gatchalian confirmed that for the 19th Congress, the panel will move to frontload passage of measures on academic recovery and improving the basic competencies of Filipino learners, including the review of the current K to 12 Program, and the assessment of the education sector by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2).
“I hope I can count on your support as we embark on a new fight for the best possible education for the younger generation,” Gatchalian said, addressing fellow senators.
DepEd Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III briefed senators on the opening of “face-to-face” classes next week.
Densing cited Department Order No. 34 (DO 34 series of 2022) or the school calendar and activities for school year 2022 to 2023, as their ‘bible’ since the assumption to office of Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte.
He said the order was personally reviewed and major provisions were written by VP Duterte herself. He added that she moved to start with the face-to-face classes given the huge learning loss among children in the last two years as indicated by local academicians and some World Bank studies.
At the same time, Senator Nancy Binay raised the need to orient parents on DO No. 34 by holding detailed orientation and dialogue sessions with parents to explain its provisions.
Binay also asked resource persons from the Department of Education “if there are protocols in place for an eventuality such as if x number of learners tested positive, would there be a shift to online classes” and whether parents were oriented on the “new normal” holding of face-to-face classes before the actual opening on August 22.
Densing III replied that the DepEd website contains answers to frequently-asked questions and a video presentation explaining the order will be available. Binay, in turn, stressed that there are parents who remain apprehensive about sending their children to school and they should be informed about DepEd’s actions to prepare for a safe school opening.
Minority Leader Aquilino Koko Pimentel III prodded DepEd to include computer programming in its curriculum for basic education.
He pressed his proposal to integrate “age-appropriate” computer programming subjects in the current K to 12 program, pushing for a similar measure during the 18th Congress.
“What am I after is, at the earliest possible time, our youth would take an interest in computer programming, computer science, because they will grow up in a highly technical and scientific world anyway, where a lot of goods may be digital already, a lot of services will be delivered online,” Pimentel clarified.
Under his proposed “Philippine Computer Programming Education Act” embodied in Senate Bill No. 72 filed in the 19th Congress, Pimentel proposed that computer programming be taught beginning Grade 4.
For his part, Senator Robin Padilla prodded DepEd to protect indigenous people learners “from the deception of some groups.”
Attending the Basic Education panel’s hearing, Padilla reminded DepEd officials to ensure indigenous learners are adequately protected “before some groups get a chance to poison their minds.”
Speaking in Filipino, Padilla said,“we must reach our indigenous learners first. This is a necessary move. You know what group I am referring to” – an apparent reference to communist rebels, whom the military has accused of brainwashing tribal students.
Padilla also pressed the need to teach Philippine History “especially to indigenous learners, so they will not forget their roots.”
Moreover, the senator assured he is “prepared to increase the budget for this purpose if needed,” in his capacity as chairman of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs. “Give me your legislative agenda with regard to indigenous people,” he told education officials.
The wide-ranging hearing, lasting about five hours, also tackled initiatives to support the book development program, stop online predators targeting children, and expand the work of the National Academy of Sports in order to grow grassroots sports and get the most inclusive mix possible of Filipino athletes.
Image credits: PNA