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00:11 Azriel Tamayo will be in grade 5 for the new school year.
00:14 He says while he's excited to see his classmates,
00:17 he's worried about learning daily in a classroom with limited space.
00:22 I'm hot and I can't answer other subjects.
00:28 A younger student says he has to fan himself during classes to bear the heat.
00:34 It's hot and tiring.
00:38 Classroom overcrowding is a pestering problem of the basic education sector.
00:44 The lack of school infrastructure and resources to support the ideal teaching process
00:50 is the most pressing issue pounding the Philippine basic education.
00:55 Past administrations have tried to address the issue,
00:59 but students and teachers continue to suffer each academic year.
01:03 Government data shows only a third of public school buildings are in good condition.
01:09 The rest need minor and major repairs or have been classified for permanent closure.
01:15 Worse, calamities from natural disasters cause damage on facilities every year.
01:21 Among them, Super Typhoon Egay, which largely hit northern Luzon.
01:26 The estimated cost to rehabilitate damage to almost 500 public schools, 1.77 billion pesos.
01:34 Besides classroom congestion, basic education lacks other resources such as learning materials.
01:41 A study by an education advocacy group finds that most public schools
01:45 have yet to achieve the required textbook to pupil ratio.
01:49 It might not be 1 is to 1.
01:52 That's another problem with textbooks because they're old.
01:57 School officials say the education budget is not enough to cover supplies and other operational expenses.
02:05 So some take the initiative to seek support from the local government.
02:09 In Rizal High School, for example, the Pasig local government shoulders the water bill.
02:14 With savings from the utility budget, school officials were able to buy and install electric fans in classrooms.
02:20 The connotation is that the teacher is the owner of the ceiling fan, wall fan.
02:27 The parents should have high regard and respect for the teacher.
02:35 The basic education sector is preparing for around 28 million students in the new school year.
02:42 It's a priority to attend public elementary and high schools.
02:45 With the number of enrollees rising annually, school officials are having difficulty
02:49 carrying out the DEPEDD recommended average class size of 50 pupils.
02:54 Our student population is growing, but we cannot build as quick as possible.
02:59 Building classrooms takes time, takes a lot of resources.
03:04 In an overcrowded classroom, teachers have difficulty managing the class,
03:08 not to mention paying attention to the needs of each student.
03:12 Experts say this results in learning poverty or poor academic performance.
03:17 AC Nichols, CNN Philippines.
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