By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
An official from the Department of Education Western Visayas (DepEd-6) reminded schools in the region to adhere to the guidelines on the recommended teacher-student ratio.
“Schools should really follow our guidelines,” Hernani Escullar Jr., DepEd-6 information officer, told Daily Guardian.
Escullar’s remarks came in response to a now-deleted post involving Fort San Pedro National High School’s Technical Vocational class, which had 81 students assigned to one teacher.
Netizens quickly reacted to the online post, raising concerns about how the teacher could effectively provide quality instruction and attention to such a large group.
According to Escullar, DepEd rules recommend a maximum of 30 learners for kindergarten, 35 for grades 1 to 3, 45 for grades 4 to 10, and 40 for grades 11 and 12.
He added that the matter had been coordinated with the Schools Division Office (SDO) of Iloilo City, which is responsible for overseeing the school’s operations.
“They are already aware since we received the information over the weekend, which we immediately relayed,” he explained.
“It is up to the school, as it is at the division level because this is related to school operations. Currently, our division office is checking the reason for the large number of students,” he added.
In response, the SDO-Iloilo City has already assigned an additional teacher to divide the class.
Melanie Tabaculde, Principal III of the school, confirmed that the initial 81 students listed under this strand had been divided into two sections, each with a manageable number of students.
The first section now has 38 students, while the second has 37.
Tabaculde said the adjustment was made following a career guidance session held on the first day of classes, which helped some students decide to enroll in other strands.
Meanwhile, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas emphasized that allowing 81 students per class is impractical for effective teaching.
“We will not allow it since the usual class size is 40. Even with that class size, it is hard to manage,” he said in a press conference.
The mayor added that while there is no shortage of classrooms in the city, some students are conducting their classes in prefabricated classrooms that already need rehabilitation.
He also pointed out that the lack of space results in the construction of high-rise school buildings.
