The new school year is back in full swing and after two whole years of distance learning, the country’s learners are either back in school, physically and full-time, or stumbling through some clumsily implemented hybrid schedule, at least until November, when the Department of Education says all kids must be inside the classroom with their teachers for real.
I will not go into the details of how clumsily implemented my kids’ hybrid schedule is, and how I think so much time and resources are otherwise being wasted because of poor policy making, because despite the many shortcomings, it is easy to commiserate with school administrators who have to implement a schedule and system that won’t even last three months.
Given the fluid nature of the situation and the lack of clear direction (other than a date) from the government, it is understandable why everything feels temporary, patched together with popsicle sticks and glue.
Schedules are messy, time is being wasted, and despite the historically high and ridiculous price of fuel, it feels like transportation costs aren’t even being given due consideration these days. It is difficult to imagine how working parents with limited resources can get their kids to and from school during the days and times they need to be there, without needing to take a sabbatical or hire a full time yaya or driver just for that aspect of their kids’ private education.
Private schools seem to be simply plodding along till November, making up the rules as they go along. Hopefully after that arbitrary deadline, a more coherent, comprehensive and considerate system will already be in place and we can just write off the struggles and costs of the first quarter of SY 2022-23 as part of the learning curve.
Wishing everyone involved, from the parents, students, drivers, helpers, extended family members helping out, teachers and school administrators, the best of luck in finding the right balance in the remaining weeks of this so-called new normal. Hopefully the newer normal that should come by November is much better.
All this effort and adjustment in sending kids to school has made me question why do we keep on insisting on private schools over public schools? That past few weeks has made me imagine the convenience and economic efficiency if only the quality of education being offered by our public schools are at par with their private counterparts. If the school in our district could only be quantified as being equally good as a private school, my kids can simply walk or bike to school and we wouldn’t have to stress over the inconsiderateness of schedules.
If you come to think of it, nothing should stop the public school system in this country from leveling up. After all, public school teachers are already getting better pay, to the point that private schools are suffering from a manpower crisis due to a mass exodus of teachers to the better paying gigs. But despite that incentive, the needle that has been pointing towards learning crisis in this country has not moved a micrometer. Is this a case where throwing money at a problem still cannot solve it?
The trouble with quality public education in this country is that better salaries can’t buy it because the leadership and visioneers apparently remain of poor quality. The post of DepEd secretary was given to an octogenarian whose vision probably needs cataract surgery and has now been pawned as a political chess move the ex-president’s daughter who is now the vice president and wanted the Department of Defense, but was handed the education portfolio as a consuelo de bobo since she was never really known to be a champion of anything education-related. For such politicos, the clincher was probably just the sheer size of the education budget, and not what they wanted to contribute to this nation.
The way things have gone and are going, increasing the salaries and benefits of public school teachers further won’t buy better education for the country because the people in charge of it must first come up with better solutions and programs that are more creative than throwing money into a bottomless and imaginationless pit.
This is why, as much as I would love to be able to send my kids to a public school with confidence in the system, it sadly cannot happen within this lifetime because this country is cursed with leaders who would never imagine having themselves, their kids, or grandkids use anything public, from schooling to transportation.
Our public funds should be used to get us the best schools, modes of transportation, social services and government. We are taxed trillions every year, not just so we can have the bare minimum crap, but so our society can have services that improve with each passing budget. Why is it taking so long for any improvements to be felt?*
