THE Coordinating Council for Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA) on Thursday said it is anticipating the transfer of at least 50 percent of K to 12 students enrolled in private schools to public schools due to the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the Senate committee on basic education virtual hearing, lawyer Joseph Estrada, COCOPEA managing director, said their group conducted a survey during the lockdown period and came up with findings that around two million of the more than four million K to 12 students enrolled in private schools will transfer to public schools by next school year.
Estrada said that a yearly 25 percent decline in enrolment in private schools has been observed but a big spike in the number of student exodus is expected in the next school year due to the deadly virus.
“Meron pong breakdown ‘yan — nine percent from elementary, 20 percent sa junior high school, and 46 percent sa senior high school (The breakdown is as follows–nine percent from elementary, 20 percent from junior high school, and 46 percent in senior high school). We are talking about 50 percent sector-wide; that would be two million students that we are talking about,” Estrada said.
Estrada also asked senators if the more than 300,000 private school teachers and their personnel nationwide can be included in the government’s social amelioration program, adding that a similar amount of P5,000 to P8,000 will be fine.
He said their association has absorbed the salaries of the teachers and personnel since the enhanced community quarantine was declared on March 17.
“Maybe it will be better for us if there will be a salary subsidy for them, kahit nga po ‘yung (even if the) amount is similar to what has been granted to employees, ‘yung (the) P5,000 to P8,000),” he added.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, committee on basic education chairman, said this is first time he learned that employees of private schools were not included in the SAP cash aid. He said he will coordinate with the Department of Finance for their possible inclusion.
Education Undersecretary Tonisito Umali asked Estrada to provide them with exact figures since the cash assistance will cost the government around P2.4 billion.
Umali said the Education department has been taking steps to ensure the transferees will be accommodated in public schools, adding they also anticipated the mass exodus of private schools students.
The DepEd, in consultation with the Inter Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, said the opening of school year 2020 -2021 will be on August 24.
Asked by Gatchalian if the government can guarantee the safety of students against the COVID-19, Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje of the IATF replied: “There is no guarantee if there will be a second wave [of infections]. We only have to take precautions.”
“Based on the current trend, there is bending, gradual flattening of the curve. We will be easy to open by August 24, and also what we call now up to August 24, look where outbreaks are occurring, implement isolation, contact tracing. This is the reason why the IATF has recommended a general community quarantine so we can see what’s going to happen,” Cabotaje said.
