Angara addresses school closures, teacher shortages on first day of classes, promises urgent reforms
Education Secretary Sonny Angara visited Carmona National High School on the first day of the 2024-2025 school year, highlighting ongoing challenges within the country’s education system.
Angara’s visit follows heavy rains and flooding brought about by super typhoon Carina that led to class cancellations, impacting schools across the country.
Classes at Biñan Central Elementary School in Laguna were canceled by the municipal government due to the aftermath of Carina, forcing Angara to change his planned schedule.
Talking to reporters, Angara estimated that approximately 840 schools, or less than 2% of the total nationwide, remain temporarily closed and will not open classes right away.
Addressing the issue of make-up classes, Angara explained that it is common practice for schools to hold sessions on weekends to compensate for missed days.
“Usually, ganoon naman ‘yon. Kapag may na-miss, sa weekend magme-make up,” he said.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is grappling with a persistent shortage of teachers, which complicates school operations.
Angara noted that some schools resort to shifting schedules, particularly for Grades 9 and 10 in the case of CNHS, to maximize classroom time.
He emphasized the need for a complete educational experience, saying, “Mas maganda ang shifting… dahil kumpleto pa rin ang oras para sa mga estudyante.”
In light of recent weather-related disasters, Angara also expressed concern for students’ psychological well-being and the physical conditions of schools.
“Gusto kong tingnan ang klase ng pagtuturo, i-check ang mga kagamitan sa mga eskwelahan,” he said.
Angara reported issues related to school infrastructure, including problems with land titles and building capabilities for multi-story structures. He hopes to resolve these challenges before the end of the year to initiate construction projects of more schools.
The Secretary also acknowledged the problem of teachers instructing subjects outside their expertise, particularly in science, where there is a shortage of specialists.
He stressed the need to address this issue, as the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) exams are mostly science-based. Angara suggested that teacher training institutions could help teachers gain expertise in these subjects.
Meanwhile, Angara announced that the teachers’ chalk allowance is set to be released soon.
“As we speak, mare-release na ‘yon,” he said.
This year, for the first time, the allowance will be tax-free and amount to P5,000. Next year, a new law, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in June, will increase it to P10,000.
Despite these setbacks, Angara reassured the public that funds are available for repairing damaged classrooms. “Whether it’s two or three billion, maa-access kaagad ‘yon to repair our school buildings,” he said.
