Elementary students attend class at General Roxas Elementary School in Quezon City on Wednesday, February 21, 2024. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
Progressive youth group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) has criticized the government’s handling of class suspensions amid recent monsoon rains, saying frequent and inconsistent cancellations have further disrupted learning for millions of students.
“Such inconsistency and inaccuracy on the part of our government is unacceptable.
Let us remind them of the inadequacy and failure of the sudden shift to online classes during the COVID pandemic and yet they prescribe it easily now even if they know well enough that it contributed to the decline of quality education,” said Spark in a statement on Saturday.
It noted that classes were suspended on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday last week, adding that Tuesday’s announcement came late.
It called for science-based, long-term measures to address the effects of climate change on education, saying these should be a priority in efforts to close learning gaps.