Dispatch from Crame No. 1096:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima's statement on the Education Crisis

Only the Duterte administration can be so deluded as to deny the mounting evidence of a crisis in education in the country. With the passing of the last day for public school classes on Monday, July 12, it is painfully evident that the challenge of distance learning remains nearly insurmountable especially for the socio-economically disadvantaged.

We've seen reports of students who have severely struggled to adapt due to lack of gadgets or steady access to the internet. We've heard of teachers working double-time to create learning modules and even spend money out of their pockets just to be able to hold online classes. We've learned of parents who have now assumed an even greater burden in their households by taking on the role of assistant teachers to their children. Everyone adjusted tremendously, except for our leaders.

Malinaw pa sa sikat ng araw na ang kalunos-lunos na estado ng edukasyon sa Pilipinas ay higit pang lumala sa ilalim ng pandemya.

But what did the DepEd do when they were given a reality check by the World Bank? Did they acknowledge their shortcomings and commit to do better? Of course not. All they did was deny and demand an apology from the World Bank. The latter's eventual apology does not cure the fact that the problem actually exists, whether in the eyes of the World Bank or that of the Filipino people that suffer the crisis.

When has the Duterte administration ever admitted to such? Definitely not with their mishandling of the pandemic. Surely not with their misplaced economic policies. And certainly not with the way they underestimated the negative impacts of a prolonged and uneven implementation of distance learning not only to learners and educators, but to parents as well.

Ang mga kabataang Pilipino ang maghihirap sa patuloy na pagwawalang bahala sa nakakapanlumong estado ng edukasyon sa ating bansa.

The simple fact of the matter is that the government has been unable to provide adequate support to our already compromised education system. The dreadful reality is we won't even feel the full impact of this crisis until about 10 to 20 years into the future when the youth of today start to work, have families of their own, and try to contribute to the growth and development of our nation, but then only to discover that they are woefully unprepared, undertrained, and with limited skills for the challenges that lie before them.

Tama na po ang pagbubulag-bulagan. Huwag sana nating pagkaitan ng pagkakataon ang mga kabataang Pilipino na maging pag-asa ng ating bayan.

(Access the handwritten version, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_from_crame_no._1096)