Marcos Faces Criticism Over Education Crisis Solutions
The Marcos administration is under fire for its response to the growing education crisis in the Philippines. Critics from the ACT Teachers Party-list argue that the government’s reliance on band-aid fixes like hybrid classes and multiple school shifts only worsens the situation. The party-list’s outgoing and incoming representatives, France Castro and Antonio Tinio, voiced strong concerns about these stop-gap measures.
“Mababa ang functional literacy sa bansa dahil sa mga basic at glaring shortages ng ating education system,” Castro pointed out, emphasizing the poor functional literacy among Filipino students caused by severe shortages within the education system. She highlighted that this school year alone, there is a shortage of 165,000 classrooms and 56,050 teachers nationwide. Despite these glaring gaps, the government has yet to provide adequate solutions.
Stop-gap Measures Aggravate Education Crisis
Castro criticized the Department of Education (DepEd) for normalizing large class sizes, increasing teacher workloads, and enforcing hybrid learning modes and multiple shifts. “Ang ginagawa ng DepEd para umangkop—malalaking klase, dagdag na teaching load, hybrid modes, at dalawang o higit pang shifts—hindi ito sapat. Sa halip, lalo nitong pinapalala ang learning outcomes ng mga estudyante,” she warned. These measures, she argued, do not fix the problem but instead deepen the learning challenges faced by students.
Tinio echoed these concerns, stating that the chronic shortage of classrooms and teachers is a direct result of long-term government neglect and underfunding. He described the DepEd’s current adjustments as mere band-aid solutions that shift the burden onto teachers and students without addressing the root causes.
The Call for Genuine Education Reforms
Both representatives urged the Marcos administration to prioritize comprehensive reforms backed by significant investment. They stressed the need for building more classrooms, hiring additional qualified teachers, and ensuring living wages for education workers. “Anything less is a betrayal of our children’s right to quality education,” Castro declared.
The critics insisted that if the government truly cares about securing a better future for the youth, it must move beyond quick fixes and tackle the education crisis at its core. Without meaningful reforms and sufficient funding, learning conditions in the country will continue to decline.
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