Education Secretary Leonor Briones, in an online press conference, highlighted some of the challenges the Department of Education was going through during the coronavirus crisis. She also lamented the constant criticism that her department has gotten over the past few months and offered assurances that things would improve.
The Education Secretary indicated that it was not only the students who suffering during the transition period, where learning was now being done remotely. She indicated that teachers, Department of Education (DepEd) officials and executives, were also suffering and had also been affected by the changes the country had undergone during the pandemic.
Education Secretary defense of her department
She indicated that these people were not only dealing with the physical threat that the coronavirus had presented but also psychological requirements that came with their jobs. She said that these people were surrounded by criticism and discouraging news and whatever they tried to do was met with fierce criticism. She indicated that this sometimes made them feel like they were not doing enough, regardless of the efforts they were doing on their work.
Earlier in the press conference, the Education Secretary had been asked about what her department was doing for the mental well being of their staff. She indicated that they were working hard to ensure that they deliver all the help they can get to these staff. She also indicated that her department had taken steps in ensuring that her teachers and officials were well equipped to handle challenging situations and job requirements.
The Education Secretary also highlighted the intense pressure that teachers and other school staff were going through as they shifted to online learning. She said, not only was the pressure being contributed by the physical coronavirus spread in the country but also came from a desire to ride through the wave of new cases of coronavirus while keeping themselves safe.
The Philippines has already pushed the school reopening dates to October 5, after their initial August 24th date. The Department of Education has faced criticism, in recent times, for mismanaging school reopening and remote learning.
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