VICE President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte yesterday assured private schools that she would look into their concerns and come up with “appropriate actions and effective solutions” to help them recover from the effects of the pandemic.
Duterte issued this statement after an online meeting with former Education Secretary Leonor Briones, other DepEd officials, and private education partners to “bridge the relationship between my office and the Private Educational Associations of the Philippines” and the National Private Education Associations.
Duterte also said Briones made the right and courageous move when she decided to order the resumption of classes even amid calls for academic freeze due to the pandemic.
“Secretary Liling and the whole Department of Education organization never cowered in the face of disapproval, public frustration and pressure. When some sectors called for an academic freeze, the response was academic ease,” Duterte said, adding Briones agreed to stay on as consultant.
She also recognized concerns of the private sector, such as the closure of many private schools and the migration of private school students to public schools, which she added put a “strain” on public schools.
“We are still reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while the Department of Education continues to provide basic education to our children in the public school sector, the effect of the pandemic on low-cost private schools was unprecedented. I understand that many private schools across the country are suffering from losses. Some private schools are facing closure. And a number have in fact already shut down,” she said.
“Now that we are finally ready to open the doors to face-to-face classes, we need the help of our private schools in bringing our children and youth back to school,” she added.
Duterte said there are already existing measures such as Republic Act 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act that have been in existence before the pandemic but still asked the indulgence and support of everyone as she studies and explores other measures to resolve issues and concerns that may adversely impact the education sector.
“Our task here is to protect our children and ensure that quality education is made accessible for them – whether they are enrolled in private or public schools, whether they are in the cities or the countryside. We look forward to forging a productive partnership with you,” she added.
DepEd records, as of November 2021, showed that at least 3.212 million students are enrolled in private schools for the school year 20221 to 2022, down from 3.375 million students enrolled from 2020 to 2021.
It added that 12,424 private schools opened for schoolyear 2021 to 2022 while 437 private schools did not participate in the current school year while 305,513 private school students also transferred to public schools.
“I have heard the messages from three of our representatives of the National Private Education Associations. I have taken notes. And I would like to assure you that we will take these issues into consideration – with the hope of coming up with appropriate actions and effective solutions,” she said.
Briones, in her farewell speech, said she never wavered in her decision and defended the move, adding there is never such a thing as “learning loss” even at the height of the pandemic.
“There is much moaning and groaning about the bad news in education, especially on learning loss. However, it is time to share the good news on learning gains,” Briones said. — With Ashzel Hachero
