The government should exert greater effort to allow the close to 3 million students who have dropped out of school last year due to the pandemic to continue their studies, an education advocacy group said today.
“Kailangang mabigyan natin ng suporta ang pamilya ng mga batang napilitang mag-dropout sa nakaraang school-year upang maipagpatuloy nila ang kanilang pag-aaral,” said Marie Paz T. Abante, president of the Philippine Educators Alliance for Community Empowerment (PEACE) Party-list.
According to the non-government organization Philippine Business for Education, 2.7 million children had been forced to drop out last year because their families’ livelihood was affected by the pandemic.
“We in PEACE Party-list believe that our children’s education can only get back on track when we resume face-to-face classes.”
Abante urged the government to increase the funds received by families through the Social Amelioration Program and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, as well as other aid programs, so that children could continue their schooling.
“Nananawagan po tayo na dagdag ang mga social aid na binibigay natin sa mga naghihikahos na pamilya upang matustusan ang mga gastusing kalakip ng kasalukuyang blended learning system,” said Abante.
Abante nevertheless reiterated the need to prioritize the vaccination of children, as “face-to-face classes should resume as soon as possible to ensure our country’s future welfare.”
“When only the few and privileged have easy access to learning tools and stable internet, the education of our children will inevitably suffer.”
“As it is, there are too many disadvantages that majority of our schoolchildren have to face under the present setup. When only the few and privileged have easy access to learning tools and stable internet, the education of our children will inevitably suffer,” she said.
“We in PEACE Party-list believe that our children’s education can only get back on track when we resume face-to-face classes,” she added.
