Teachers’ group: ‘120B fund needed for distance learning as PH education system on brink of collapse’
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines had issued their warning about the country’s education system being on the brink of collapse if the government will not address the challenges faced by schools, teachers and learners in distance learning.
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The teachers’ group expressed their concern during the resumption of Bayanihan 3 by the Congress. The group coerced legislators to allocate bigger funds to address massive gaps in distance learning as Congress deliberates the biggest Bayanihan bill yet at P405.6 billion.
Failing to support the education sector amid the pandemic will come at grave costs paid by education workers, students, and even their families but this need not be the case any further,
ACT Secretary General Basilio said.
He added that the Congress should make up for the failures of the first two Bayanihans and the 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA) by making education one of its top funding priorities for Bayanihan.
Our duly-elected lawmakers are hereby challenged again to prove that they’re worth the people’s votes by fulfilling their duty to ensure quality education is safe and accessible to all,
he said.
Basilio noted that the substitute bill for Bayanihan 3 which is up for Committee approval before submission to the plenary, allocated P5.6 billion only to distance learning needs. According to him, this hardly covers the basic requisites of distance learning: gadgets, internet allowances, printed modules, and community teachers.
Based on ACT’s estimate computations, Basilio said that the Department of Education (DepEd) would need a total of P120.38 billion in supplemental budget to amply fund the needs of education amid the pandemic: P98.5 billion to cover the requisites of distance learning, P14.68 billion to prepare for face-to-face classes in low-risk areas, and P7.2 billion to give due protection and health benefits to education frontliners.
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Teachers’ group: ‘120B fund needed for distance learning as PH education system on brink of collapse’
Reviewed by Issues PH
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May 19, 2021
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Reviewed by Issues PH
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May 19, 2021
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