Be honest on when classes will be ready to resume, Marcos tells DepEd

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education should be more forthright to the public as to when it would be ready to reopen classes for the upcoming school year amid the coronavirus pandemic, Senator Imee Marcos said.

In a press conference on Monday, Marcos lamented the supposed lack of readiness of the education department for the resumption of classes on August 24.

“We already told the DepEd, magkaisa kayo. Sabihin lang, magpakatotoo kayo, sabihin sa amin kung kailan ba talaga ‘yan. Kasi sa tingin natin two months to go, two months before the deadline, hindi pa talaga ready,” she said.

(We already told DepEd to be united. Just tell us and be honest on when you will really be ready. Because we think that two months to go before the deadline, we are really not yet ready.)

The senator, however, acknowledged that DepEd may never be fully ready for the upcoming school year.

“’Yung DepEd sabihin na nila ang totoo kung kelan mag-uumpisa na medyo handa — medyo, syempre hindi tayo totally handa, (but) we are doing our best,” she said.

Marcos also urged the agency to give more authority to local school boards in remote areas to make decisions on the opening of classes since the situation in these schools could be different compared to the nationwide scale.

She said the coronavirus crisis could be an opportunity for the country to break away from the “one size fits all” type of education system.

Marcos likewise said she supports the conduct of face-to-face learning in remote areas where there are no cases of COVID-19 but added that health protocols must be properly observed.

EDV