BY NOEL TALACAY and PETER TABINGO
THE Department of Education (DepEd) has recommended that the start of School Year 2020-2021 be set on August 24, citing results of deliberations at the agency’s executive committee and consultations with over 700,000 stakeholders that took part in a survey.
During the Laging Handa press briefing, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said the recommendation has been submitted for the approval of the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
Briones clarified that the opening of classes for this year does not mean teachers, students, and support staff would be trooping to schools on the set date since many areas of the country are still under some degree of quarantine due to existing cases of COVID-19.
“It doesn’t mean everybody would have to report physically in schools since the lockdown is still in effect in many areas of the country. There may be virtual (classrooms), as well as physical ones for those places where the actual opening of school facilities is already allowed,” she said.
Once started, classes will continue until the intended closing of the school year on April 30, 2021.
“Our primary concern is to protect the health and well-being of learners. That is why we will insist on strict observance of all safety protocols of the IATF. At the same time, we will ensure that education will remain uninterrupted,” Briones said.
The agency’s challenge between now and August is to iron out any kinks in the implementation of a modified teaching system to adapt to restrictions on gathering of people while the COVID-19 pandemic is raging worldwide.
“We have facilitated and put emphasis on the shift to novel teaching methods even before we had this COVID pandemic. We have flexible learning options that schools with sufficient preparations may put to work online, whether public or private,” the DepEd chief said.
One of the major policy changes is the prohibition on all school activities that might gather a crowd.
“We realize that it is a missed chance for many because we all enjoy science fairs, trade fairs, campus journalism, festival of talents, and similar activities but all of these would have to be shelved for now, particularly in areas where the ECQ [enhanced community quarantine] is still in effect,” Briones said.
She said, educators would have to develop new means to enrich the education while under quarantine so that students would have the chance to learn new concepts in a rapidly changing environment.
But two months ahead of the proposed start of classes, teachers are already required to render service starting June 1 up to June 30, 2020 for the official enrolment of incoming students.
“They will also undergo capacity-building for new lessons. We have this new platform with more than five million subscribers, the DepEd Commons, and new programs for school children so they can learn while in school with the guidance of their parents,” Briones said.
The DepEd Commons is an online education platform that will cater to students and teacher who can go to school in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 5, DepEd said the platform has recorded a total of 6,218,717 users composed of students, teachers and parents.
Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan highlighted the need for adult supervision for children who will study online subjects.
“Of course, we have to include instructions for children how to critically evaluate contents. As far as browsing other sites online, that is where we will really need the assistance of parents. At the end of the day, our focus must be on improving the capability of our children to be more discerning in looking at digital and online content,” he pointed out.
SBN 1438
Senate President Vicente Sotto III has filed proposed Senate Bill No. 1438 seeking to grant President Duterte the flexibility to decide on the opening of classes this coming school year. Proposed SBN 1438 is among the priority measures that the Senate will attempt to approve before it adjourns sine die in June.
Under the measure, Sotto proposed that the school opening be delayed to September or any other date as determined by the President, in case a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic happens.
RA 7977, or the Act to lengthen the school calendar from 200 days to not more than 220 days, sets the opening of school classes every year on the first Monday of June and not later that the last day of August.
Sotto said there is a need to delay this year’s school opening because of the continued threat of the coronavirus (COVID-19) to the country.
In his proposed bill, Sotto said it is important to “give the Department of Education more time and opportunity to prepare and adopt measures for the new normal of the education system.”
Sotto added the proposed bill will amend RA 7977 and serve as the enabling law for the execution of the April 24 recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to move the class opening to September.
“The approved recommendation of the IATF-EID runs counter to the law… To remedy the situation created by COVID-19 and consequently allow the execution of the IATF-EID recommendation, this measure is being proposed,” Sotto said.
Classes in all levels and all activities in both public and private learning institutions nationwide have been suspended since March 10 after President Duterte declared a national health emergency because of the outbreak of COVID-19. — With Raymond Africa
