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Wednesday, May 31, 2006
RP lacks 6,832 classrooms: education official
MANILA -- Just what is the real definition of classroom shortage? Acting Education Secretary Fe Hidalgo and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have conflicting views on the matter.
Hidalgo said the country is still short of 6,832 classrooms based on a student-classroom ratio of 45:1 and a single shift per day but Arroyo said it lacks only around 1,000 based on a ratio of 100:1 and a two-shift scheme.
The education official's definition of classroom shortage angered President Arroyo during Tuesday's National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Cabinet meeting at the State Dining Room, resulting in the deferment of Hidalgo's presentation on the opening of classes and the premature eviction from the function room of the media covering the event.
Hidalgo had just started her presentation and was presenting her figures when Arroyo cut her off and reminded her of the one-year-old definition of "classroom shortage."
Arroyo also told Hidalgo to identify the schools with the classroom shortage so she could check it against her list.
Hidalgo said she has the names of the schools and that her ratio was 45:1. She said the solution to the shortage is a double single session.
The President ordered Hidalgo to generate the list for distribution to Cabinet members so that they could check the student-classroom ratio when they are in the area.
"Either our original data was wrong or this one is wrong. It cannot be both because the discrepancy is too big," she said.
Arroyo reminded Hidalgo that they had agreed on the new definition since last year.
Hidalgo admitted that based on Arroyo's definition, there will only be "a few shortage."
"Exactly, exactly," Arroyo said, "I mean we have to present our accomplishments on that rather than...because we are always being attacked every year for the shortage, but we have been meeting the shortage."
When Hidalgo affirmed that government is indeed meeting the shortage, an exasperated Arroyo countered: "That's not what it appears here."
Perhaps becoming more aware that reporters were covering that portion of the Cabinet meeting, Arroyo ordered a deferment of the presentation until the figure on the shortage matches her definition.
"Children go to school half day only. Grade school is supposed to be half day only. Two shifts," she reminded her education chief.
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. tried to make things better by asking whether Hidalgo's shortage figure factored in the school buildings built by congressmen.
To which Arroyo said: "Can we please, as I said, can we please defer already this discussion? Can we let the media go already?"
Once the media started leaving, Arroyo immediately went to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo to express her exasperation.
Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor said Hidalgo immediately went back to the education department to consult her staff and make the necessary corrections.
When she faced Palace reporters on the afternoon or less than three hours later, Hidalgo declared that there is no more classroom shortage based on Arroyo's definition. She said the figure that she cited was the number of schools that would be built this year, but she insisted this is not a shortage.
She said there are still schools that are "very congested" and that these are being monitored especially since there is a continuing transfer of students from the private schools to the public schools. She said government will continue to build classrooms to accommodate more students.
Hidalgo said the "very congested schools" are found in at least seven regions. She said the government's issuance of education vouchers to graduates of elementary public schools who will enroll in private high schools will decongest the schools.
Asked how she felt when Arroyo scolded her, Hidalgo said: "Well, I feel sorry for myself."
She said her presentation was not really on the shortage but on the preparations for the opening of classes in June. (JMR/Sunnex)
(May 31, 2006 issue)
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