DepEd bares ‘blending learning’ strategy for students

Published May 28, 2020, 9:35 AM

The Department of Education (DepEd) assured that it is taking steps to ensure that Filipino children will continue to have access to education amid the challenges brought about by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said that the DepEd will be “sensitive to equity considerations.”

“Alam naman po natin na magkalayo ang agwat ng mas nakaka-angat sa buhay kung ihahambing sa mga anak ng naghihirap [We know that there is a wide gap between those living above the poverty line and the children from poor families],” said San Antonio during a press briefing hosted by the Department of Health (DOH).

San Antonio said that they will strive to provide “printed self-learning modules” so that students who do not have access to gadgets and the internet will not be left behind.

The Education undersecretary said that they will ask the assistance of the local government units for the distribution of the printed learning materials.

“Magpapatulong po tayo sa ating mga local government officials, sa mga barangays, katulong na rin ang PTA (parent-teacher associations) at tele-teachers natin [We will be asking the help of the local government officials, our barangays, as well as the PTA and our tele-teachers],” said San Antonio.

The DepEd is also considering the conduct of “blended learning” or a combination of face-to-face, online, or printed modules, said San Antonio.

“So yung klase po ay hahatian at baka dalawang araw lang sya o kahit isang araw na lang pupunta sa school. Yung mga natitirang araw sa isang linggo ay gagamitin sa pag-aaral sa loob ng kanilang mga bahay [Classes will be split and maybe students will only go to school for one or two days. The rest of the week will be spent studying in their homes],” he said.

“Magkakaroon tayo ng physical distancing…meron tayong dinisensyong seat plan kung paano papaupuin ang mga bata na sa bawat silid paaralan, kung meron man face-to-face lessons ay hindi lalagpas ng 20 na mag-aaral ang pupunta [We will have physical distancing … we have designed a seat plan on how to arrange the children inside the classrooms. If there will be face-to-face lessons, there will be no more than 20 students who will be attending],” he added.

The Education official said that they are also eyeing the help of the radio and television stations owned by the government for the implementation of distance learning.

“Bago matapos ang linggong ito, may meeting po si Secretary [Leonor] Liling [Briones] at [Presidential Communications Operations Office] Secretary [Martin] Andanar upang liwanagin yung magiging sistema sa paggamit ng government faciltiies sa TV at radio [Before this week ends, there will be a meeting between Secretary Liling and Secretary Andanar to clarify on how we can use the government’s TV and radio facilities],” said San Antonio.

San Antonio also emphasized that parents should have an active role in the education of their children amid the COVID-19 crisis.

“Kailangan maging aktibo sila sa mga gagawin ng mga anak nila habang nag-aaral sa bahay [They need to be active in what their children are doing while studying at home],” he said.

Meanwhile, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire maintained their position that if the minimum health standards will not be met, then it would be best not to conduct physical classes and wait until a vaccine for COVID-19 is discovered.

“Sanhi ng wala pang bakuna laban sa sakit na ito at dahil alam po natin ang kahirapan ng pagpapanatili ng minimum health standards sa pagsasagawa ng klase, mas masisiguro ang kalusugan ng bawat mag-aaral kung sila ay mananatili sa bahay habang ang mga guro naman ay tumutuklas ng flexible alternative learning methods [Because there is no vaccine against this disease and since we know the difficulty of maintaining minimum health standards in class, it will ensure the health of every student if they stay at home while the teachers are developing flexible alternative learning methods],” said Vergeire.

SOURCE: https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/05/28/deped-bares-blending-learning-strategy-for-students/