The return to face-to-face classes is vital in ensuring the right to accessible and quality education. As the Department of Education gears for 100% reopening of schools, it is equally important to ensure the safety of learners, educators, and school personnel amid the rising number of Covid cases and the emergence of variants that pose new threats. As part of the recovery efforts, the reopening of schools is also an opportune time to address gaps that surfaced before and during the pandemic by enacting crucial policies and reforms in the education sector.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) welcomes the proposed Safe School Reopening Bill, which provides ways to support the safe reopening of classes and the transition to face-to-face classes. The proposed measure outlines key safety areas that would ensure the health and safety of learners and education personnel. These include proper ventilation of learning spaces; on-campus health facilities and supplies; human resources for health; financial support for private educational institutions to implement safety measures; Covid-19 testing program for learners and education personnel; and, medical fund for the free treatment of learners and education personnel.
The proposed bill is a concrete way to uphold the right to education while protecting the right to health in educational institutions. It endeavors to execute in concrete terms the interdependence and indivisibility of rights since the right to education cannot be fully attained if health and safety are compromised. It is also notable that the proposed bill aims to provide health security, which will enable students and education personnel to learn and work without anxiety over the financial consequences that Covid may pose.
To jumpstart the reopening of schools, CHR equally supports calls for the passage of the House Bill 203 that seeks to increase the salary of teachers to ensure due compensation for them that is commensurate with other government professionals who have been given salary increase in recent years. Many teachers take on additional odd jobs to support their families especially given the current rising inflation and peso devaluation. As we put high premium to education, this must also be translated to the value and compensation we accord our educators.
To support education reforms, we also welcome the call to increase the education national budget through the proposed House Bill 1783. As prescribed by the United Nations, the proposed measure seeks to increase the education budget to at least 6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product or GDP. Adequate budget allocation for education is essential to the attainment of quality and accessible education to ensure that no learner is left behind.
Similarly, CHR welcomes the statement of Vice President Sara Duterte that uniforms shall not be required for the incoming school year. This is a compassionate policy that considers the financial difficulties of indigent families who are unable to afford the cost of uniform due to the rising prices of goods and commodities as well as the economic constraints resulting from the pandemic.
As we all anticipate the reopening of classes, CHR shall monitor the situation in schools and continue to work with all branches of government and stakeholders in upholding the right to education, health, safety, and just compensation in the education sector. ###