DAVAO CITY – The Alliance of Concerned Teachers is expecting massive dropouts and problems in class shortages, learning facilities on the opening of classes on Monday, June 13, wherein the Department of Education is also set to welcome the first batch of the Grade 11 students nationwide.
Benjamin Valbuena, national chairman of ACT-Philippines, said reports reaching their offices showed that in all regions in the country, schools are set to face the problem of classroom unavailability as constructions are stillgoing on.
Here in Davao City, a high school only has six students enrolled in the senior highschool program. Danilo Mondoyo, a Grade 10 teacher from Mabini National High School said their target was to have 30 students.
The school has an estimate of 1,200 enrollees last year, and is expecting around 1,250 students this year, Mondoyo said.
Mondoyo also said they were not supposed to open senior high school.
“Because we are not prepared. We even lack classrooms,” he told Davao Today in an interview on Friday, June 10.
Mondoyo, a Grade 10 teacher said that a three-storey building with six clasrooms is still under construction.
He said six sections in high school are already holding their classes inside the school gym in the previous school year.
“Maybe some students will bear the hardship of holding their classes inside the gym,” he said.
He also said that the division office has not appointed senior high school teachers to their school yet, adding that there is a possibility that the school might not be able to cater the six senior high school enrollees.
“We don’t have teachers for senior high school. If we will push through with this, the junior teachers, who are already overloaded with teaching loads, will be forced to teach senior high school,” he said.
Mondoyo added that with on six enrollees there is a possibility of “dissolving” the section because it becomes “impractical” for the students.
Valbuena said in Siargao Island, “not a single classroom for SHS has been constructed.”
“Parents from Bukidnon have complained of constructions in stasis since the projects were still on bidding phase,” said Valbuena.
He said in Polangui General Comprehensive High School there are complaints of inconsistencies and sudden last-day adjustments. Grade 8 students of the said school were sent out of PGCHS to Polangui North Central Elementary School to make room for SHS students.
He said a report of unfinished infrastructure in Cotabato City Division, Canizares National High School was also reported.
Valbuena also said the school centers of Canizares National High School Technical-Vocational tracks “have no equipment required for the courses (garments, food trade, ICT, electronics).”
“The tracks also have no qualified teachers to run the courses. To resolute, teachers in Junior High School will teach SHS classes as mandated. The same case occurs in Region IV-A,” he said.
Meanwhile, not all secondary schools opened Grades 11 and 12 in Kidapawan Division, Valbuena said.
“The division limits K to 12 centers with only one school— a problem to be faced by those enrolees that are expected to commute. Puasinda Integrated School, for instance, is 60-kilometer away from the K to 12 center, and it would cost 60 pesos for one student to travel (food excluded). As result, many students decided to wait until PIS opens slots for Grades 11 and 12,” said Valbuena.
The Department of Education, however, said it is all set for the opening of classes on Monday wherein 1.5 million students are expected to enter Grade 11. (With a report from May Anne Love B. Deseo/davaotoday.com)
