MANILA – Positibo ang natanggap na mga komento ni Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William Ramirez mula kay DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones hinggil sa kanyang pag-endorso na ipanatili ang Physical Education (PE) sa school curriculum sa ilalim ng “new normal” sa gitna ng pandemya ng coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Ani Ramirez nakasisiguro si Briones na maipaglalaban niya ang pagpirmis ng PE sa pambansang education system curriculum.
“PE is an important part of our children’s education. It is so important that I believe it should become a core subject,” ani Ramirez sa kanyang pahayag, Huwebes.
Isinumite ni Ramirez ang kanyang position paper sa Department of Education (DepEd) matapos imungkahi ni Senator Sherwin Gatchalian ang pansamantalang alisin ang ilang aralin kasama na ang PE, sanhi ng Covid-19.
Si Gatchalian, chairman ng Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts, and Culture, ay napaulat ang mungkahi nitong imentena lang ang “key subjects”, tulad ng Math, Science, English, at Reading, ngayong school year.
“We have chosen to let the tide of negative criticism pass, believing that the comment was done with the best interest of other matters in mind and was not meant to minimize Physical Education,” wika ni Ramirez sa kanyang liham kay Briones.
Idinagdag pa niya sa liham kay Briones na, “as head of the government’s sports agency, it is incumbent upon me to present our position on the issue.”
Sa kabila ng mga restriksyon sa panahon ng pandemya, ang PSC ay nanatiling aktibo sa pagbibigay ng mga impormasyon sa sports, gaya ng online workouts ng mga national team member, webinars sa online training, sports nutrition, at sports psychology, sa bisa ng iba't ibang online platforms para abutin ang atleta at publiko.
Itinutulak din ni Senator Pia Cayetano ang pagsama ng PE sa mga klase na ini-offer sa ilalim ng DepEd’s proposed blended learning modalities para sa“new normal”.
"Physical well-being is something we cannot simply set aside, especially in this time of Covid-19. We need to keep promoting Physical Education and regular exercise among our children," sabi ni Cayetano.
Iminumgkahi niya ang educational programs na naghahatag ng regular exercise sa mga bata kung saan daan ito para marami benipisyo sa kalusugan at potensiyal na maiwasan ang respiratory illnesses.
"Physical Education does not have to take up too much space. Government channels can easily air these kinds of shows for students. There are many things that can be done. What matters is we do not disregard PE and the need to teach our children the importance of taking care of their health while at home," dagdag ni Cayetano. (LP/PNA)
photo courtesy : EDGE DAVAO
