THE FLOODWATERS are slowly going down. But for many of Macabebe’s learners, the damage is not over.
They are facing another kind of flood. This includes the missed lessons, skipped activities and lost learning time.
For almost two months, classes have been disrupted. There were online classes when possible. Then came another suspension. Then another adjustment.
We should not pretend this comes without a cost.
Learning loss is real. Learning gaps are real. The pandemic showed us how quickly children can fall behind when schooling is disrupted. Repeated interruptions can make the problem worse.
The recent floods have made that problem even clearer.
As reported by the Inquirer News, “250 schools and 1,752 classrooms in Pampanga were affected by the floods. The damage also included 5,369 learning materials and 6,351 learner chairs. The estimated recovery and response needs for the province reached P1.36 billion.”
These are not just numbers.
Behind every damaged classroom is a child whose learning was interrupted. Behind every missed lesson is a child who may struggle with the next one.
Now comes the difficult question: What do we do next?
Parents have legitimate concerns as schools resume face-to-face classes.
How will children get to school if some barangays remain flooded? How much will transportation cost? Is it safe to send children through roads that are still difficult to pass?
While these are valid, we must also face another reality.
We cannot wait for every drop of floodwater to disappear before we bring our children back to school.
If we wait for a completely dry Macabebe, we may be waiting until March, or even longer.
Our children cannot afford to lose several more months.
But there is another problem.
When schools propose Saturday make-up classes, parents and students also complain. And their concerns are also valid.
Children need rest. They need time with their families. They need space to breathe after a full week of schoolwork.
Mental health is part of education, too.
So where do we draw the line?
DepEd’s new three-term calendar was designed to protect instructional time. It provides longer, more focused periods for teaching, while setting aside periods for academic intervention, other school activities and learner wellness.
Yet schools must also deal with sports, campus journalism, and other DepEd-recognized co-curricular activities.
This is where the real challenge lies.
We must protect instructional time. But we must also protect the child.
We need safe schools, repaired classrooms and accessible roads. But we also need a clear learning-recovery plan.
The answer is not simply to add more Saturdays. Neither is it to keep suspending classes until Macabebe is completely dry.
The DepEd’s learning-continuity policy already provides for makeup classes when actual class days fall below 90 percent of the required contact days. But it also leaves schools room to decide how these classes should be scheduled.
That flexibility should be used wisely.
Schools, parents, the LGU and DepEd must identify what learners have missed, determine who needs the most help, and provide targeted remediation. Schedules may have to change. Some activities may have to wait. And children must still be given time to rest.
The flood has already taken nearly two months from our learners.
Let us not allow it to take their future too
A classroom can be repaired. A book can be replaced. A road can be rebuilt.
But a lesson missed today may become a gap that follows a child for years.
The water may recede. Macabebe may recover. But our children cannot afford to be left behind.