Opening up economy will help parents send kids back to private schools – Briones

MANILA, Philippines — Gradually opening up the economy may help address low enrollment rates in private schools as it would allow unemployed parents to get jobs so they could afford to send their children back to private schools, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said on Monday.

Briones made this point during the pre-recorded address of President Rodrigo Duterte that was aired late at night.

Briones pointed out that the enrollment in private schools had taken a big hit because of lockdowns imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to her, only 2.1 million students enrolled in private schools for the school year 2020 to 2021 —  or half of last year’s figure.

“And this is where we can see the connection between the economy and education,” Briones said in Filipino.  “Because many of those without jobs can no longer afford education in private schools.”

On the other hand, she noted that public schools achieved an almost 100-percent enrollment.

“Our belief, Mr. President, is that while the economy gradually opens with more people moving and more Filipinos finding new jobs, they can afford to let their children study again in private schools,” Briones said.

This file photo shows students attending a flag-raising ceremony before singing the national anthem at a public school in Manila. (AFP photo)

Like private schools, institutions offering alternative learning system (ALS) were also affected by the recession caused by the pandemic, as most ALS students are part-time workers, many of whom also lost their jobs, Briones added.

According to her, only 52 percent of ALS students were able to afford to return to school.

The government, particularly the DepEd, has been getting flak for insisting on the opening of public schools despite the clamor for an academic freeze, supposedly intended to allow families to focus first on economic recovery.

Earlier, student groups supportive of an academic freeze slammed Briones for labeling the opening of the school year a victory against the coronavirus. There’s no victory, they said, if a lot of students failed to enroll because of inaccessible distance learning modes.

But during Duterte’s address on Monday, Briones clarified that her victory remark was in reference to academic freeze proponents — despite clearly saying in her message for the new school year that the victory was against the pandemic.

“We declare our victory over COVID 19 – the Destroyer of our lives and Destroyer of our economy and of our society. But we will not allow COVID-19 to destroy our children’s education and their future,” she said in her message.

“Today, we open our schools. Today, we claim victory over the destroyer (COVID 19). Let our classes begin!” she added.

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