Grade 9 students may face the first few weeks of the school year without books, Mark Salazar reported on “24 Oras” Friday.
Teachers fear the situation may turn out as it had when the K-12 system was first implemented, when they had to photocopy books for their students.
“Late. Kung hindi man, natapos ang Grade 7 ng walang module. Nung inimplement ito nung Grade 8, ay natapos ang second quarter, saka lang dumating ang modules intended for first and second quarter. Samantala, yung third and fourth quarter, walang nagamit na module ang mga bata,” said Louie Zabala, president of the Manila Public School Teachers Association.
Antonia Lim, who leads the Alliance of Concerned Teachers in the Central Visayas, said, “Yung Grade 7, talagang walang aklat sila sa lahat ng subjects. Yung Grade 8 naman, parang tatlong subjects lang siguro ang may aklat, pero late nang dumating.”
ACT-Bicol’s Nic Sambitan related the same scenario, and said Grade 8 students didn’t get access to books.
If the same scenario presents itself, Zabala said teachers would have to shell out their own money to photocopy their modules.
Department of Education (DepEd) Executive Director of Instructional Materials Council Secretariat Socorro Pilor admitted delivery of the books has been delayed due to “development delays”.
She said books that were delivered to teachers, some of which were rushed, are meant for temporary use while final copies are printed.
“Hindi man lahat ay makarating sa kanila ng opening ng classes, siguradong may makakarating sa kanila from June probably up to August, September,” said Pilor.
Bare kitchens and a lack of canteens
Meanwhile, a report by Cesar Apolinario on “24 Oras” showed the lack of proper kitchen facilities in schools. In some, classrooms end up as canteens due to a lack of appropriate space.
Sevilla Quizon, principal of the Doña Pepeng Elementary School in Rizal province, said teachers often serve as janitors during meal time, since their canteen is just a make-shift home kitchen.
The Department of Health has also forbidden students from buying food from vendors outside schools, limiting their choices in food.
DepEd Asistant Secretary Tonisito Umali said junk food was also forbidden in canteens, and added, “yung mga masusustansyang pagkain po lamang (ang pwede).”
Cramped classrooms and lost schoolmates
Part of the reason behind the lack of canteen facilities is the lack of rooms in schools, a fact clearly shown in a report on Typhoon Yolanda-hit areas by Sherrie Ann Torres on “24 Oras”.
Students in Eastern Samar will have to make do in makeshift classrooms while sturdier ones are being built. Tents and plywood rooms topped with tarpaulin will house the students in the province, where at least 9,420 classrooms were destroyed during the storm.
“Malungkot po kasi wala nang papasukan,” said Jeremy Aglapa, who graduated from the now-destroyed Nagaha Elementary School.
Beyond lacking proper facilities, children from Yolanda-stricken areas also have their lost classmates to remember. Some are buried in front of the San Joaquin Church, a few steps away from San Joaquin Central School where 67 of them used to attend.
“Hindi (ko) rin matanggap dahil diyan lang kasi humuhugot ng lakas kapag may problema, barkada,” said Jeremy Maraya, who lost 13 relatives, including schoolmates, to the storm.
Last year, students were also greeted with a shortage of classrooms, with students from Batasan National High School in Quezon City squeezing around 13,000 students in 83 classrooms.
Similar cases were found in other areas of the country, including the Punturin Elementary School in Valenzuela City. There, 1,000 students had to take classes in laboratories, corridors, and the covered court, as they only had 12 classrooms.
The DepEd has said a lack of buildable space contributes to the shortage of classrooms in Metro Manila.
According to a report aired on “24 Oras” on Monday evening, Umali said they are talking to local government units in Metro Manila as well as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to find lots where more schools can be built.
He said DepEd will also continue the implementation of its Open High School System (OHSP), or the home-based study program for high school students. — JDS, GMA News
