September school opening opposed

MANILA, Philippines — Various private school organizations are against the proposal to open classes in September, warning the government that many of their members are on the verge of closure after operations were suspended due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Joseph Noel Estrada, managing director of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), said a strict September opening would have serious social and economic impacts on the school community.

“Delay might result to teachers and faculty changing careers because of the gap in their salaries due to the delay in school opening,” Estrada told The STAR yesterday. “Many private schools will have to downsize and even close, leaving many of their school personnel jobless.”

COCOPEA earlier asked the government not to further delay the opening of the school year and instead support initiatives to enable flexible modes of learning to limit physical interaction among students.

“Private schools are trying their best to keep their teachers, faculty and school personnel by paying their salaries despite their dwindling resources,” said the group, which represents five associations of education institutions.

“Our survey shows that many of the private schools would no longer be able to maintain their payroll beyond April 30. After this date, many private schools would resort to extreme measures to avoid closure, such as placing school personnel on floating status without pay,” it added.

Estrada said they were surprised with the recommendation for a September school opening, noting discussions with the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) where they “have been made to understand that August is the latest date for a school opening.”

Officials already clarified that the date for school opening has yet to be finalized, with the DepEd and CHED set to present their recommendations early next month.

Eleazardo Kasilag, president of the Federation of Associations of Private School Administrators, said there are private schools that can hold classes as early as June using online delivery modes of learning.

“Why should we wait until September?” he said, noting that some of their members have the infrastructure to support distance learning.

Kasilag lamented that private school teachers and other employees are “wallowing in poverty” due to the suspended operations.

He noted that their employees were initially not included among those qualified for government aid programs for those affected by the pandemic response measures.

Both the DepEd and CHED earlier said they are looking at ways to provide support to private schools, especially their employees.