MANILA, Philippines — The decision to shorten class hours in crowded schools is “shortchanging” students, especially with textbooks riddled with errors still plaguing the public school system, “sick books” crusader Antonio Calipjo Go said Monday.

Go said the Department of Education (DepEd) should better manage its proposed P172.8-billion budget instead of cutting school hours and integrating subjects to compensate for reduced learning time.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus in August ordered classes in overcrowded public elementary schools to be shortened to four to five hours.

“When you integrate two subjects into one, you are not really ‘compensating’ the students, for that word means ‘to recompense for something, to make up for, to pay.’ You are, in fact, shortchanging your customers,” Go said.

He noted that Grade 1 and 2 public school students were already not taught Science and Health, but now, with the DepEd’s shortened class hours, their civics subject, Sibika at Kultura—itself already a conglomeration of other subjects lumped together under the general learning area called Makabayan—will again be integrated into Filipino.”

As a result, “there will be only three learning areas in Grades 1 and 2—English, Math and Filipino/Sibika. How were the Grades 1 and 2 pupils ‘compensated’ by this scheme when they lost not only learning time but also learning competencies?” Go said.

He noted that Science and Health had always been taught in private schools from the preschool level. “Integrating Sibika at Kultura into Filipino will definitely weaken both subjects precisely because of the time limit. Both will suffer from being mixed up and diluted,” he added.

Go said the DepEd’s claim that classes in crowded schools were shortened in response to “the public clamor for less learning loads” was “rubbing salt on the open wound of public frustration over the DepEd’s inability … to provide quality education to public school students.”

Go said the DepEd’s budget allocation this year would be increased from P167.9 billion to P172.8 billion.

“No sane parent would want his or her child to be taught less,” Go said. “Why aren’t there enough classrooms and school buildings when the DepEd’s allocation increases every year?”

He said the DepEd was practically awash in cash.

“The question to ask is ‘How are these funds being managed?’ For instance, would you call it prudent use of the public’s money for the DepEd to be employing so many undersecretaries (six) and assistant secretaries (seven)?” Go said.

The educator added that the DepEd “squandered” P5.7 million in 2008–09 for its “infomercials.”