Katipunan ng mga Gurong Makabayan (KAGUMA-EV), the revolutionary mass organization of teachers in Eastern Visayas, called the Duterte government’s pilot reopening of physical classes as “ill-prepared” and condemned the Duterte regime’s negligence in decisively resolving health concerns in the education sector.

“We demand for a safe reopening of classes,” KAGUMA-EV said. “While we are fed up with this failed blended learning approach, the reopening of physical face-to-face classes should be contingent on the Duterte government’s capacity to address health considerations in schools such as the provision of additional classrooms for social distancing, handwashing facilities, clinics, nurses, personal protective equipment, and other requisites for safe learning.”

But as per 2020 data of the Department of Education (DepEd), only 28% among schools nationwide have clinics while the ratio of nurse to students is estimated at 1:6,000. The country also needs at least 110,000 additional classrooms.

“The figures couldn’t be more telling. Social distancing will not be achieved when the usual 75-80 students crowd a classroom in a public school,” KAGUMA-EV added.

The group accused the Duterte regime and DepEd of failing to comprehensively prepare for physical classes. “More than a year since the pandemic begun, we virtually do not see any additional clinic or nurse especially in far-flung communities such as those in Eastern Visayas.”

KAGUMA-EV maintained that the safe reopening of classes is inextricably linked to the government’s overall pandemic response. “No learner can safely learn when cases of Covid rise by the day, when their parents lost their jobs because of the lockdowns, or when their stomach aches for lack of aid.”

“The country’s preexisting educational crisis has worsened in so many ways under the tyrannical Duterte regime, whose negligence and incompetence in handling the pandemic continue to delay the safe reopening of classes and deprive millions of Filipino youth of their right to quality education,” KAGUMA-EV ended.