‘Same old problems’ in new school year
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Sun, 02 Jun 2019 09:20:58 +0000
A MOTHER tries a school uniform on her child for sale in a stall at the Commonwealth Market in Quezon City a day before the opening of classes. (Alvin Kasiban)
School year 2019-2020 officially opens in all public schools today but the “same old problems” are expected to greet at least 23 million learners trooping back to schools nationwide.
Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones is scheduled to visit the Signal Village National High School in Taguig City to personally monitor the opening of classes. She is also expected to visit the Comembo Elementary School in Makati City as part of the school opening activities.
Updated data on the projected enrollment for SY 2019-2020 from the Office of the Undersecretary for Planning Service and Field Operations Jesus Mateo showed that 27, 216, 398 learners are expected to troop to both private and public and private schools across all basic education levels: 22, 839, 989 in public; 4, 217, 726 in private, and 158, 683 in State Universities and Colleges and Local Universities and Colleges.
In public schools, there are 22, 839, 989 learners comprised of 2, 098, 627 Kinder; 12, 046, 842 elementary or Grades 1 to 6; 7,033, 527 Junior High School or Grades 7 to 10); and 1, 660, 993 Senior High School or Grades 11 to 12.
The enrollment in public schools is 83.9 percent of the entire projected enrollment for this school year.
In private schools, which will open in the coming weeks, the expected enrollment is 4, 217, 726 with 231, 143 enrollees in Kinder, 1, 213, 776 in elementary, 1, 431, 117 in JHS, and 1, 341, 690 in SHS.
In SUCs and LUCs, expected enrollees are 329 in Kinder, 10, 980 in elementary, 62, 411 in JHS, and 84, 963 in SHS.
For Wilhelmina Vibar, a Science teacher at the Acacia Elementary School in Malabon City, this year’s school opening will still be just like in the previous years – marred with shortage in facilities and resources due to the increasing student population.
Vibar said that the school has around 2,500 pupils from Kinder to Grade 6 for this school year. While the construction of a new school building is on-going, she noted that the facilities – particularly the classrooms – are not just enough.
For the past four years, Vibar said that hundreds of Grades 1 to 4 pupils have been using makeshift classrooms as temporary learning spaces. “These makeshift classrooms are made out of plywood as walls and dividers and usually accommodate 45 to 50 pupils per class,” she said.
Vibar also noted that teachers and students have been holding classes in “deteriorating” classrooms with “leaking walls due to termite infestation.”
Teaching in the same school for the past 18 years, she could not help but express disappointment on school opening issues that remain unaddressed until now. “Every school opening, we expect pupils that come in late despite the early registration,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.
As a result, classrooms become overcrowded just to accommodate those late enrollees that public schools could not turn away.
Aside from shortages in facilities, Vibar observed that one of the most recurring challenges that teachers face is lack of enough funds for schools. “While there is Brigada Eskwela, the donations from the stakeholders are not sustained that is why the teachers are forced to shoulder additional expenses for classroom maintenance and repair,” she said. (Ina Hernando Malipot)