BY NOEL TALACAY and PETER TABINGO
EDUCATION Secretary Leonor Briones on Thursday said next month’s enrollment for academic year 2020-2021 will be done remotely so teachers, parents and students do not have to flock to schools.
“There will be no face-to-face will happen during the enrollment dates in order to observe the physical distancing”, as she emphasized during the virtual press conference
Briones said teachers will reach out to parents through text, call, online and other means of communication. She said parents will likewise be asked to answer a survey, the results of which will be used by the Department of Education (DepEd) to plan and develop the educational system, including new learning modalities, as the country faces a “new normal.”
The DepEd released on Thursday Department Order 008, series of 2020, which contains the guidelines for enrollment for SY 2020-2021in the context of the public health emergency prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The order stipulates that remote enrollment will be applied for old students. For transferees, the “originating school” will contact the “receiving school” using published enrollment contact details, for Balik Aral students, enrollees shall contact their preferred school, and for Alternative Learning System (ALS) participants, enrollees may enlist via digital and/or physical enrollment platforms established by participating schools and barangays with community learning centers (CLCs).
Briones said remote enrollment will be in effect for two weeks. On the third week, any form of physical submission of enrollment forms will be entertained with full coordination with local government units (LGUs).
DepEd Undersecretary Ann Sevilla said the “chalk allowance” of teachers will be released in June. Sevilla said that since face-to-face classes will not be done, the allowance will be used to finance individual learning continuity plans of teachers nationwide.
“Cash allowance will be distributed in June, so each teacher across the country will receive P3,500 under the 2020 budget of the department. This include the expenses for the remote enrollment as well,” Sevilla said.
She also said the Balik Eskwella and the Oplan Balik Eskwella still be conducted on June 1 to August 29, 2020, so that the teachers can undergo up skill training in order for them to adopt the new modes of teaching.
NO FRICTION
Briones denied that President Rodrigo Duterte and the DepEd are at odds over the agency’s proposal to push back the opening of the school year to August.
Appearing on the public briefing Laging Handa, Briones said what the President objected to was the return to the old system of face-to-face teaching inside classrooms which will create a risky environment for schoolchildren and teachers because of the continuing spread of the novel coronavirus infection in many areas of the country.
“The President’s instructions were clear: he is opposed to crowded classrooms which will expose pupils to danger. We at DepEd fully support the same stand as we have previously explained that the learning continuity program gives primacy to the health at safety of our students and teachers,” she said.
She pointed out that obligating schoolchildren to physically report to their classrooms for lessons will not be allowed by the Department of Health and the protocols for physical distancing enforced by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The DepEd earlier announced that it has proposed that the opening of classes for SY 2020 to 2021 be pushed back to August 24 instead of the traditional first week of June to create enough time to prepare teachers and facilities for modified methods of teaching.
Briones said the DepEd has been preparing since the start of the Luzon-wide quarantine to create a system of teaching that will adapt to the challenges of maintaining physical distancing without interrupting the education process.
“We requested experts for information including the DOST (Department of Science and Technology) on when we can expect the first vaccine for COVID 19. We were told the earliest will be first quarter of 2021 or even perhaps up to the second half of 2021. So that means at the very least, we have to wait for ten months,” she added.
Under these conditions, she said the only option is to use all available resources to ensure that the schoolchildren will not be idle while under quarantine. These are the online platforms, mobile phones and similar gadgets, television, and radio.
“We are looking at several alternative approaches to get around the problem of lack of public transportation in many areas particularly Metro Manila. Perhaps parents can agree on a pick-up point where they can get the necessary materials for distribution. The students do not even need to come out,” Briones said.
Briones also said the DepEd is laying down the groundwork for blended learning and other alternative teaching methods to help ensure that there will be classes for the coming school year.
However, she admitted that the government cannot compel the parents if they think that their children will be placed at risk.
“At the end of the day, it is a decision that parents have to make. And we will respect that whether it is to enroll o or not to enroll. What we want to highlight is their children will lose a full year. What we are trying to avoid the interruption of the learning process,” Briones said.
