Sagada asks for face-to- face classes

By Liza Agoot  

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- The Schools Board of Sagada and the Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs) in the town are asking to allow face-to-face classes for students considering the poor cellphone and internet connectivity and the difficulty of parents to teach their children.
    Mayor James Pooten, in a phone interview on Monday, said the residents want that all schools in the municipality be included in the face-to-face classes.
    He said that during the Schools Board meeting, one of the agenda taken was the opening of the school year where members aired the position of the different PTAs who are asking that the face-to-face classes resume.
    Pooten said that all schools in the town are located in far-flung areas and the PTA members themselves have committed to assuring that no outsiders can enter the villages who might bring in the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
    He also said that they continue to maintain their border checkpoints and triage where people entering the town are required to undergo processing.
    He added that non-residents, upon entry, are endorsed to the village officials.
    The mayor said students, teachers, as well as parents and guardians have difficulty considering the poor internet connectivity while several areas still have no cellphone signal.
    He added that while the modular system is being adopted by most of the students, many parents are incapable of helping their children.
    “Ano ba ang asahan mo na sila magtuturo sa mga anak nila eh sila mismo eh no read no write. Wala talaga, nahihirapan ang estudyante natin (how can you expect the parents to teach their children if they are unable to read nor write. It is really difficult and our children are suffering),” he said.
    Sagada is among the local government units in the Cordillera and Mountain Province that continues to observe strict movement and entry protocols with the residents themselves being the watchdogs who assured that no outsiders can enter the area as protection from Covid-19. (PNA)