CHR supports DepEd plan for 100% resumption of in-person classes

MANILA – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) welcomed on Tuesday the most recent announcement of the Department of Education (DepEd) to completely open the in-person classes by June.

CHR executive director Jacqueline Ann de Guia said in a statement the “right to education is intrinsic to the exercise of other human rights”, hence the agency’s “staunch support” to DepEd.

“In the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Philippines remains one of 23 countries that have yet to fully reopen schools. Education, supposedly the greatest equalizer, has posed to further divide and alienate the most marginalized children in our society, placing them at greater risk of exploitation and a lifetime of poverty,” de Guia said.

DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones on Tuesday stated that the 100 percent reopening of actual classes will depend on the advice of the Department of Health, preparations of local government units, and consent and participation of parents.

Based on a report from DepEd, de Guia mentioned that 73 percent of public schools have returned to face-to-face classes.

However, private institutions remain wary as only 676 of 16,000 schools have reverted to in-person learning.

“The Commission hopes for the steady and progressive expansion of face-to-face learning while maintaining strict adherence to Covid-19 health and safety protocols,” de Guia said.

De Guia likewise acknowledged the DepEd’s “exploration of the effectiveness of blended learning setup” to address the parents’ hesitancy of having their children participate in face-to-face classes.

She further said that ensuring every Filipino child’s right to education grants them an opportunity to better their lives.

She added that it also bridges economic and social gaps, such as productivity, gender inequality, and health care accessibility, that hamper our nation-building.

De Guia called on incoming government officials “to make accessible and quality education a priority investment”.

“May the glaring inequalities among literacy and proficiency among our youth that the pandemic has underlined be urgently acted on, with the education sector at the very helm,” she added.