UMAABOT sa P96 bilyon hanggang P134 bilyon ang nawawalang kita sa ekonomiya sa bawat buwan na hindi nagbubukas ang klase sa mga paaralan.
Kaya itinutulak ni House committee on ways and means chairman at Albay Rep. Joey Salceda ang “safe, equitable, and agile” na pagbubukas ng klase.
Nagsumite si Salceda ng 122-pahinang report sa Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases, kaugnay ng planong distance learning ng Department of Education.
“The answer to the question of whether physical classes should resume is not a clear-cut, one-size-fits-all yes or no. The risks are varied per sector, per area, and even per student. That is why a continuum of options for learning must be present to account for the differences in risk. We nonetheless believe that school should resume as soon as the country is ready,” ani Salceda.
Paliwanag ni Salceda ang edukasyon ay mahalagang bahagi ng socioeconomic kaya kailangang maging ligtas at epektibo ang pagtuturo sa new normal.
“Depriving students of the ability to learn is an intergenerational curse, considering that every year of education increases incomes by around 10%,” ani Salceda.
Bukod sa epekto sa kakayanan ng mga estudyante mayroon din umano itong epekto sa mga magulang.
“The societal implications of education are far too massive for education to be considered as an afterthought in pandemic management. Keeping schools closed, for instance, has immense social costs. Single mothers rely on open day care centers to take care of their children when they go to work; in many communities, being in school keeps children out of criminal influences. For many children, being in school protects them from abusive households.”
Sa pagtataya, sinabi ni Salceda na ang isang buwang pagpapaliban ng klase ay may 0.5 hanggang 0.7 porsyentong epekto sa Gross Domestic Product ng bansa at 0.3-0.4 porsyento ng GDP sa productive life ng estudyante.
“This is an immediate-year cost of P96 to 134 billion pesos. This is a cost that is bigger than even most individual programs in the economic stimulus proposals in Congress.”
Ayon kay Salceda maraming pamamaraan para maituloy ang klase maliban sa online classes.
“Hindi pwedeng ipipilit mong mag-online classes sa wala namang internet. Hindi pwedeng ipipilit mong mag-physical classes kung hindi kaya ng eskuwelahan na masiguro ang minimum health standards. Local flexibility is a must.”