Rosalie Joy Maaño, OIC of the Bangkal Resettlement Elementary School. Photo by Ernie Esconde
ABUCAY, Bataan — Indigenous peoples on Monday welcomed the opening of face-to-face classes in an Aeta upland village here, saying it is more beneficial to pupils and parents, especially to some natives who do not know how to read and write.
Rosalie Joy Maaño, officer-in-charge of the Bangkal Resettlement Elementary School in Abucay, said they have 154 school children, 80 percent belonging to the Magbukun Tribe, from the present in-classes from kindergarten to Grade 3.
Maaño, a member of the tribe in the upland village of Bangkal, said they are hoping that by next week, classes will open for those in Grades 4 to 6.
She said that it should have been their third week of F2F classes but was cut short after a resident contracted the coronavirus disease during the first week and they had to stop, in observance of protocols from the Department of Education and the Department of Health.
Maaño, who teaches in Grade 3, said teachers and children have to fall in line in the school triage before entering their respective classrooms, to have their temperature taken, sign on record books, and wash hands.
“Bilin namin sa mga bata na kapag may nararamdaman na sipon at ubo ay huwag na munang papasok dahil isa itong sintomas ng virus at para sa safety na din ng kanilang kamag-aral,” the teacher said.
“Aware naman ang mga bata dahil ilang taon naman na ang pandemic at ang community at school ay hindi naman nagkukulang sa paalala at bago naman dumating ang face-to-face ay nagkaroon naman ng mga validation at orientation sa mga parents para kung ano ang mga gabay sa kanila kapag bago pagpasok at paglabas sa eskwelahan,” Maaño added.
She noted that: “Masaya ang mga bata sa pagbabalik ng in-classes dahil sa community ay hindi 100 percent ang marunong bumasa at sumulat. Iilang pursiyento lang ang nakapag-aral ang magulang at labag man sa kalooban nila ang modular pero wala silang magagawa dahil susunod sila sa protocol ng DepEd kasi nga walang magtuturo sa mga bata.”
“Mahirap at kung ilalagay namin ang kalagayan nila ay talagang napakahirap at naririnig namin iyan sa paggagawa ng data, sa evaluation na paano nga naman magtuturo eh hindi naman nakakabasa at nakakasulat at idagdag pa ang hanap buhay, kakayod muna bago magturo sa anak,” she said.
Maaño was thankful for the resumption of the limited F2F classes.
“Nabawasan din ang pasanin ng mga magulang dito sa community. Mas nakabuti talaga ito at matagal na ding ginugusto na magkaroon ng face-to-face dahil nahihirapan ang mga ito na hindi nila maibigay ang pagkakatuto na gusto nilang ibigay sa mga anak nila at wala silang magawa dahil gustuhin man nilang magturo sa anak ay hindi sila marunong magsipagbasa at sumulat,” she said.
Maaño said DepEd and her co-teachers did their best in assisting the children as well as their parents.
Juliet Aquile, an Aeta mother, said F2F is better for them: “Ang mga apo ko ay nahihirapan sa pag-aaral sa bahay lalo na sa high school. Sa high school din dapat kasi nga gaya ng apo ko na Grade 8, hindi naman lahat ng katutubo marunong magbasa at ang ibang magulang ay hindi nakapag-aral, papaano matuturuan ang mga high school na. Iyon dapat ang maibalik na talaga ang face-to-face.”
