#OPINION | A Scholar’s Tale: A Pisay Fail
by Mara Remonte
From incredibly uncomfortable flag ceremonies and general assemblies that violate social distancing guidelines to unsuitable, borderline hazardous, classroom conditions, Pisay did the most unexpected thing for the first weeks of face-to-face classes since the start of the pandemic: they flopped!
Last August 5, Curriculum and Instruction Division (CID) Chief Efren Paz announced the return of full face-to-face classes at PSHS-MC. The Division of Student Affairs (DSA) subsequently announced the first day of school scheduled on August 31.
As most schools opted for a hybrid classroom set-up or even continued online classes, face-to-face classes were an impressive feat for the campus. However, the preparations leading up to the start of classes revealed a school (and administration) that was unready for its face-to-face implementation after all.
Issues
To start, the school registrar faced delays in the release of class lists, class schedules, and even requirements for transferee students. For instance, the class schedules were only released around a day before the start of classes. Due to the delay, dorm room assignments were made without consideration for the intern students’ sections, resulting in almost randomized roommates per year level.
The administration also claimed that uniforms would be available by September, but the PSHS Consumers Cooperative (PSHS Coop) reported no supply of type A uniforms, PE uniforms, and lab gowns, citing lack of fabric. Some have even resorted to outsourcing tailors for their lab gowns. Yet, even with these absurd delays, they are still requiring students to wear “complete uniforms” by October 3.
An additional disappointment was the exaggerated waiting line for drop-offs and pick-ups. Pisay created long drop-off zones and confusing traffic schemes that aggravated the heavy traffic in the area, which have made it more difficult for students to enter and leave the campus. It would’ve been more efficient had the school not insisted on one line only for those dropping off students.
The Management Committee (ManComm) has also failed to provide proper facilities to students and faculty. The Music rooms and Statistics labs on the fourth floor of the Science and Humanities Building (SHB) are still unfinished. Some rooms were even missing windows. Internet signal doesn’t reach other classrooms either, leaving students no choice but to use their own mobile data during class.
Some classrooms had no ceiling fans, no ventilation systems, and even unfinished electrical work. This later led to chaos within Batch 2025, who were instructed to return to online classes for a week. Vaguely enough, one classroom had an air conditioner yet another was missing part of a ceiling, which only shows how noncommittal Pisay’s “priorities” are.
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) was one of those “priorities.” This is presumably used to track students’ whereabouts. Meanwhile, official school IDs or actual identification are still not expected to be issued until the latter half of September, or possibly even later.
The school also uses RFID to check students’ temperature before entering school premises. Yet, this happens to be redundant, as campus security has already made a check–in lane, where they check the students’ temperatures and inspect their bags upon entering the campus. Teachers also check students’ attendance anyway.
These issues are merely glimpses into Pisay’s incompetencies. They went through all the unnecessary bureaucracies of RFIDs, temperature checks, and turnstiles, but failed to account for 700+ students in a limited auditorium that can barely hold 300 students, much less with social distancing, for an almost hour-long first-day general assembly. Amusingly enough, the program itself was meant to orient students on COVID safety protocols. And yet, attending that event was riskier to students than bypassing one temperature check out of the countless ones they take upon entry.
Excuses and reasons
In response, the ManComm argued that the Quezon City Local Government Unit (LGU) had already inspected the school for the pilot classes held from February to May. This proved successful, and the school was given a Safety Seal.
However, the school did not account for some factors. One would be the added facilities, such as the new classrooms and the newly renovated fourth floor. Another would be that the total student body is present for classes this time, instead of the previously numbered students per grade level.
These details are significant enough to affect the school, so it is confusing and negligible not to ask for reinspection before the start of classes. Just because Pisay is the most ready to implement face-to-face classes does not mean that their level of readiness is acceptable.
Premier education
Pisay’s current conditions for face-to-face classes raise confusion and intrigue.
Being a school that advertises premier education, the school should also account for the other necessities needed to attain it. Students cannot be expected to focus on their studies if they have to spend most of their free time navigating hectic traffic and long distances or focus on cooling themselves down.
Even if measures are taken to ensure that no one spreads the virus, it is basic negligence to students and teachers not to equip classrooms and facilities with the bare necessities. These sloppy preparations are a slap in the face to our school’s integrity.
Why were there no contingency plans for students who, though residing in Metro Manila, still live far from Pisay? What is the RFID really for? Could the school not have simply tagged ID cards to make it more efficient? Why didn’t they prioritize repairs and maintenance of the new classrooms?
The start to SY 2022–2023 is an evident fail, but the school still has time to improve. They have proven themselves capable of ensuring safe and protected spaces for learning in the past — they just have to be more prepared. And in the meantime, we’ll be waiting for these improvements.
After all, premier education deserves premier settings.
