MANILA (UCAN): Schools in the Philippines look set to remain closed until a vaccine for the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) becomes available after the president, Rodrigo Duterte, declared he would not risk the lives of students and teachers without one.
“I will not allow the opening of classes if children are seated beside each other and they are together inside their classroom. It spells disaster,” Duterte said in a televised speech on May 25.
He said it was useless to discuss the reopening of classes if students’ safety cannot be guaranteed. “For me, vaccine first. If it’s made available, then it’s OK (to resume classes). Remember that,” he added.
The Education Department previously announced that the academic year would begin in August, sparking concern over children’s health and safety. However, education secretary, Leonor Briones, said, “When we say the opening of schools, it does not mean that we will be asking teachers and students to physically go to the school,” said Briones in a radio interview.
She admitted that the Education Department needs at least 27 billion pesos ($4.1 billion) to provide laptops for each teacher in the public school system.
“The direction (of the online learning programme) is to provide a laptop for each teacher. I hope we can raise the funds by August,” the education chief said.
The Education Department also revealed that in 2019 there were 800,000 teachers teaching 23 million students in public schools, exceeding the department’s ratio goal of one teacher to 25 students.
Meanwhile Philippine health minister, Francisco Duque, was accused of sowing public alarm and confusion after declaring the country was experiencing a second wave of Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infections.
Duque said on May 20 that the first wave of the pandemic occurred from January to February when health experts quarantined three Chinese nationals who tested positive for the virus.
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Most people thought the country was still going through the first wave because infections were continuing to rise amid a shortage of testing kits in the country.
Duque’s comments about a second wave were criticised by health experts who said the pandemic infection curve had yet to be flattened.
“The first wave (of the virus) came when we had the first lockdown. We have not yet flattened that curve. A second wave happens after that curve is flattened,” said Dr. Anthony Leachon, an adviser to the Inter-Agency Task Force against Covid-19.
Opposition lawmaker, Carlos Zarate, also criticised Duque’s statement, accusing him and the government of “playing tricks” with the people.
“Is this administration taking us for a ride? Is a second wave coming or is it true we are already on the second wave?” the lawmaker asked in an interview.
He told the government to stop concealing the true situation from people when it is the masses who are struggling with the pandemic.
