DepEd shares insights on the first weeks of classes
Various industries in the Philippines are already on their slow but steady path to recovery and that includes the education sector. Despite the compromises and major changes made in the educational system to navigate through the now normal, the Department of Education (DepEd) has successfully opened classes for SY 2020-2021.
“DepEd recognizes the challenges of the school year ahead, but if we opted for an academic freeze, we would have lost many months of the children’s learning,” said DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones. “The opening of the school year has generally been very successful, and we will continue to face any challenge that lies ahead with great resolve to continue education in the country.”
For the first few weeks of classes, the Department has been focusing on the proper implementation of the alternative learning delivery modalities and providing the necessary psychosocial support for the academic community.
Learning in the new normal
Following the DepEd’s successful implementation of the different learning modalities across the country, Regional Offices (ROs) are working hard to continuously provide students with learning materials.
With the vision of making education accessible to every student in the country, DepEd reports that 690,578,576 Self Learning Modules (SLM) have already been printed. Distribution of the said learning materials has also been successful, with 465,225,636 SLMs being distributed to students nationwide for the first quarter of the school year.
Learning materials for Online Distance Learning students have already been prepared in time for the first quarter of the academic year, with 3,841,474 digitized SLMs, e-books, online video lessons, and the like ready for rollout.
The DepEd also shared that 7,740 Radio-based instruction (RBI) learning materials are ready for roll out across all regions in the country. The Department reports that 9,207 Television-based instruction (TBI) learning materials like video lessons and learning episodes have been prepared for students in all 17 regions in the country. The goal of this initiative is to receive and collate reports of errors found in different learning materials so that the DepEd can forward these to the appropriate offices for validation and correction.
Putting emphasis on mental health
Prior to the opening of classes, DepEd trained teachers to provide support to students who may be struggling to cope with education’ new normal.
The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) program give learners the necessary support they needed during the first week of remote learning. The handbook helps parents further understand the alternative learning modalities and provides information on where parents can seek help should they encounter difficulties in understanding the learning modules.
Practical tips for parents of learners with disabilities and positive parenting and discipline tips when facilitating home learning are also included in the handbook. “The Department remains steadfast in its commitment to provide all learners with the quality education they deserve, and we will continue to work hand in hand with our stakeholders to continue education for Filipinos across the country amid these trying times.”
