After the infamous massive eruption of the Taal Volcano, victims find it a challenge to recover. In fact, this is their main goal after the said event. Homes that have been damaged, schools that were set as evacuation centers, and ash-covered roads and establishments are what you will see when you take a walk down the areas that were severely affected.
There are so many things that are being disregarded or set aside that need urgent action in order for those affected areas to move forward; this includes their overall livelihood as well as the education of the children.
To keep everyone safe, everything must stop; people need to keep everything in a safe place. The government monitors every area especially the current situation of the Taal Volcano and its banging and continuous threat of stronger eruptions.
Read: Mandatory Evacuation of 8 Tagaytay Barangays, DILG
Because of the continuous spew of the volcano, public schools in the affected areas have become the evacuation centers of families who experienced it the worst, causing schools in these areas to be suspended.
The resumption of classes
The Department of Education (DepEd) made a proposal that all classes in affected areas by the Taal Volcano Eruption shall resume on the 3rd of February, 2020.
The resumption of classes, nevertheless, would be limited to schools that are ready to resume their classes. There are quite a number of schools that are still being used as evacuation centers for the families who were rescued away from the restless volcano.
In total, there were 37,000 families or almost 145,000 individuals still staying in about 488 evacuation centers close to the vicinity of the volcano.
Read: Toll Fee Exemption in SLEX For the Taal Eruption Relief Goods Teams, Labor Group
According to the DepEd, students who were and still are affected by class suspensions would be required to attend make-up class sessions to be able to cope with missed lessons.
New calendar in line with the resumption of classes
To support their announcement, the agency’s regional office has submitted a revised school calendar, which will probably extend classes until April of this year.
In addition to that, DepEd also made a mention that the decision of schools in resuming their classes would still depend on the provincial government of Batangas on whether they will follow its recommendation to resume classes on February 3, 2020. Otherwise, it's going to be their call.
Read:Safety Tips to Follow When You’re Stuck on the Road During an Ashfall
Leonor Briones, Secretary of the Department of Education, advised all local governments to avoid using schools as evacuation centers. Why? Because it hinders all students from the education they need.
In schools, which we believe can already be reopened and classes can resume, it will start on Feb. 3. It will be the local government, which will decide [for the resumption of classes]."
Transferring students
In addition to the fact that the DepEd wants the resumption of classes to transpire on the first week of February,they also ordered public schools to accept relocated students from the Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon Region (CALABARZON) who would prefer transferring without any requirements.
Some people, students, and families might think of transferring to help them with the situation; especially those in the most-stricken areas of the calamity. With the order of the DepEd, they should not worry about transferring.
What is the Taal Volcano's situation now?
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHILVOLCS) recently announced that there was an increase in the amount of steam released by the Taal Volcano in the province of Batangas. This leads to a certainty that most business and schools near it still won't have much room to continue with operations.
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Because of this, the Philippine government still warns Batanguenos to stay alert at all times because the Taal Volacano’s situation is still unpredictable and the situation can possibly worsen depending on its activity.
Nevertheless, the DepEd is looking to have schools in Batangas, as well as other provinces adjacent to it to resume classes on the 3rd of February so that that children won't have much effort in adjusting and coping with the classes they missed.
What do you think about the opinion of the DepEd to have the resumption of classes of public schools to be on Feb. 3rd? Do you think that this is fair considering the recent and continuous spew of the volcano? Would this impose a safe environment, not just for children, but for adults as well in the region?
Let's wait for further announcement as regards this concern. For now, what the DepEd wants is what stands.
Source: The Philippine Star
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