Lack of teachers, facilities bedevils students

ALL systems are ready to go as the Education department (DepEd) re-launched on Monday its Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) through the Information and Action Center Task Force (IAC) in preparation for the official opening of classes next week.

The Deped is anticipating some 22.5 million students (14.25 million in the elementary level, 5.85 million in high school, 1.93 million in the kindergarten as well as 205, 000 in the Alternative Learning System or ALS) to troop to the 55, 230 public schools when classes formally open after the two-month long summer break.

The OBE-IAC will run and May 30 to June 10 and shall provide the public with information with regard to back-to-school concerns, assist on complaints and queries as well as provide routing mechanism in the run-up to the school opening.

“The Oplan Balik Eskwela is part of our commitment to the Education For All goals. This project will ensure smooth opening of classes so that the schoolchildren are properly enrolled and all schoolchildren are in school on June 6, the first day of school year 2011-2012,” Education Secretary Armin Luistro said.

Luistro furthered that OBE Information and Action Centers will also be set up at the regional and division offices and schools nationwide.

Likewise, an OBE-Interagency Task Force with other government agencies will be set up at the Departments of Trade and Industry, Defense, Interior and Local Government, Public Works and Highways and Health as well as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration to foster greater coordination.

Information and Actions Centers at the DepEd’s central, regional and division offices will also be placed 24 hours for the duration of the OBE project to receive the public’s complaint and feedback on the preparation and opening of classes.

In line with this, the Education chief said the department is already prepared for the influx of students to public schools next week adding that the department is seriously looking into filling up the essential learning resource gaps.

“These shortages have been the perennial problem of the basic education system. While interventions are now in place, we cannot stop from there. We will continue to explore different avenues to make ends meet.”

The Deped is anticipating some 22.5 million students (14.25 million in the elementary level, 5.85 million in high school, 1.93 million in the kindergarten as well as 205, 000 in the Alternative Learning System or ALS) to troop to the 55, 230 public schools when classes formally opened after the two-month long summer break.

Other perennial shortages
Other issues meanwhile have yet to be settles as there is still a shortage of 103, 612 elementary and secondary school teachers, 66, 800 classrooms, 2, 573, 212 school furniture and 146, 000 toilets.

Luistro said LGUs have promised to hire 50, 000 teachers to serve in their localities this school year making up for the shortfall, while the department have inked an agreement with the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources, Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to utilize confiscated illegally-cut lumber for school furniture with the state gaming agency to provide funds.
Some 250, 000 seats and tables will be delivered under the partnership.

The education department has allocated P12. 45 billion for classroom construction and P1.15 billion for school furniture following the 19-percent increase in its overall budget from last year’s P175 billion to P207 billion this year though P165 billion of it would go to personnel salaries.

The DepEd has also set aside P5.83 billion for scholarship slots under the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education. –Maria Nikka U. Garriga, Reporter, Manila Times