Nationwide face-to-face learning makadaragdag ng P12 bilyong piso kada isang linggo sa ekonomiya —NEDA

MAKATUTULONG ang nationwide resumption ng face-to-face o in-person classes para makabawi ang ekonomiya ng bansa mula sa COVID-19 pandemic.

Sinabi ni Socioeconomic Planning Secretary at National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) chief Karl Kendrick Chua na ang pagbubukas ng lahat ng 60,743 eskuwelahan para sa “in-person learning” ay makapagpapataas ng economic activity ng P12 bilyong piso kada linggo.

“This was on top of the estimated P16.5 billion to be added to the country’s gross domestic product each week that the entire Philippines is under Alert Level 1, ” ayon kay Chua.

Aniya, ang P12 bilyong piso kada linggo na magsisilbing karagdagang economic output ay manggagaling mula sa pagpapatuloy ng “services around the schools like transport, dorms, food stalls, school materials and so on.”

Inamin ni Chua na ang Philippine economy ay nawalan ng P22 trillion para sa dalawang taon nang isara o itinigil ang face-to-face learning.

“Around P11 trillion in productivity losses every year could be averted if in-person learning resumed nationwide,” ani Chua.

Sa ngayon, mayroon lamang 1,726 eskuwelahan o 2.9% ng lahat ng eskuwelahan sa buong bansa ang nagsasagawa ng face-to-face classes.

Samantala, tinukoy ang data Department of Education, sinabi ni Chua na mayroong 6,213 eskuwelahan ang handa ng magsagawa ng in-person classes.

“As the vaccination rate of children increases, opening all schools for face-to-face learning will provide a big boost to the economy and improve the learning and productivity of children,” ayon kay Chua.

Idagdag pa, ang pagpapatuloy ng face-to-face classes ay makapagpapabuti sa learning outcomes ng 50%.

Sinabi pa ni Chua na ito rin ay “free up time for one-fourth of parents, who skip work or reduce work time to accompany their children in home learning.”(Bishop Jesus “Jemba” M. Basco)