AMID the call from a group for the mass testing of teachers and learners before the resumption of classes, an official of the Department of Education (DepEd) Davao said that it may not yet be possible given the population in schools.
DepEd Davao spokesperson Jenielito Atillo said in a virtual presser that Deped may not afford mass testing.
“Basi sa request nga magpahiluna og mass testing, gihuna-huna na ug pag-ayo sa Department of Education kay kini importante usab but we are also aware of the fact that if we go mass testing, naa pod kay issue sa cost (DepEd is contemplating the mass testing initiative because this is important but we are aware of the fact that if we go mass testing, it will be an issue on the cost of the testing),” Atillo said.
He added, “The population of public schools is really quite huge if we talk about the number of teachers and number of students.”
On May 9, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) issued a statement calling on DepEd and the government to provide free mass testing for education workers and learners (with parental consent) who have symptoms and exposure to Covid-19 cases.
“Dili sa dili ta gusto og mass testing but if you have to really equilibrate the situation, sa kasamtangan dili man pud mapadalpin ang hisgutanan sa galastuhan bahin ana (It’s not that we don’t want mass testing but if you have to equilibrate the situation, we cannot discount the expenses if we conduct this),” Atillo said.
The education department’s announcement on the schedule of the opening of classes for the school year (SY) 2020-2021 was questioned and criticized by the public who fear that the children might be infected with the virus once the classes begin.
However, despite the pandemic, Atillo said that school opening will push through on August 24 but with the application of various learning delivery options such as face-to-face, blended learning, distance learning, apprenticeship, and homeschooling depending on the local Covid Risk Severity Classification and compliance with minimum health standards.
Atillo explained that mass testing may not yet be possible because of the frequent exposure of the teachers outside.
He also said the supposed testing will not only be conducted once, making it more expensive for DepEd Davao given that they have thousands of teachers. In Davao Region, there are around 40,000 teachers employed in public schools.
“Labin na tong mag face-to-face, everytime that they will go out sa ilang panimalay, they are actually putting themselves at risk sa possibility of infection. Pag-abot sa school ana, mag test ta didto so pag biya niya walay assurance nga katong nakuha sa unang higayon tama napod kay simbako along the way nay naksugat na individuals kinahanglang itest napod (Teachers who will conduct face-to-face class, they are always at risk of getting infected every time they go outside their residence. There is no assurance that the result of their first test will still be the same),” he said.
Since Covid-19 testing is not yet available, DepEd Davao reminds teachers to practice basic health protocols such as social distancing and wearing face masks to protect themselves.