VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte yesterday said schools damaged by typhoon Egay that have yet to be repaired in time for the school opening on August 29 will be allowed to implement blended learning.
Duterte said this is to ensure that there will be no disruption in classes while the repairs on the damaged facilities are ongoing.
“The Department’s direction no longer includes learning disruption. Lagi pong blended learning or in-person classes. Education will continue uninterrupted even if there are classroom issues,” Duterte told reporters after she participated in the Brigada Eskwela activities at the Victorino Mapa High School in Manila.
Duterte said the department is prioritizing the repairs of the schools hit by typhoon Egay, which struck the country last month.
Earlier, the DepEd said 559 classrooms in 169 schools in the Cordillera Administrative Region, National Capital Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, and Eastern Visayas sustained damage due to Typhoon Egay and other weather disturbances brought by the southwest monsoon.
“The total estimated cost for reconstruction and rehabilitation is at P810 million,” the DepEd said then.
The Department of Public Works and Highways previously said at least P7 billion worth of infrastructure sustained damage due to typhoon Egay.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers last week called on the DepEd to ensure that schools that sustained damage due to Egay and other weather disturbances are ready to accept learners for the August 29 opening of classes for school year 2023-2024.
Education Undersecretary and Spokesperson Michael Poa said they expect an increase in the number of enrollees for the upcoming school year from 28.4 million students to 28.8 million.
There are currently 44, 931 public schools and 12, 162 private schools nationwide.
