MAKING a U-turn, the Department of Education has allowed private schools to continue implementing blended learning by November 2 or hold full distance learning mode.
Public schools, however, are mandated to implement full face-to-face classes by November 2.
In an order issued yesterday, Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte said private schools can hold five days of in-person classes and blended learning, three days of in-person classes and two days of distance learning, or four days of in-person classes and one day of distance learning.
The order amended Duterte’s previous order mandating all public and private schools to hold face-to-face classes by Nov.2.
She said private schools may also opt to hold in-person classes from Mondays to Wednesdays and distance learning from Thursdays to Fridays, or Mondays to Thursdays for in-person classes and Fridays for distance learning.
“After the said date, no public school shall be allowed to implement purely distance learning or blended learning, except for those that are expressly provided an exemption by the Regional Director, those whose classes are automatically cancelled due to disaster or calamities and those implementing Alternative Delivery Modes such as home schooling,” the order said.
The DepEd has been pushing for the full return of in-person learning to address the learning gaps brought by school closures and lockdowns due to the pandemic.
Duterte even listed the return of in-person learning in most public schools as among the achievements of the department in the first 100 days of the Marcos administration.
In a statement, Duterte said the DepEd is cognizant of the current situation of the private sector due to the impact of the pandemic – the amount of investment in online learning technologies, the development and institutionalization of best practices on blended learning, and the unfortunate closure of small private schools because of losses suffered when classes were forced to shift to blended learning.
“DepEd will leave the discussion on the learning modality to be implemented by private education institutions to the schools, the parents/guardians, and the learners. DepEd, however, hopes that parents and or guardians of private school learners would not miss the abundance of scientific studies available on the advantages of in-person classes over online learning,” Duterte said.
Last August, Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) chairperson Dr. Anthony Tamay said around 900,000 students from private schools have transferred to public schools since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic more than two years ago.
The group said more than 60 percent of private schools in the country have experienced a decline in enrolment in varying degrees.
Earlier, the DepEd said that since the start of the pandemic more than 400 private schools nationwide have stopped operations due to financial problems.
At the same time, Duterte stressed that several published studies point to the fact that in-person classes remain the best option for basic education.
“The Department of Education maintains its confidence in the benefits of holding in-person classes to promote academic development and the overall mental health and well-being of our learners,” she said.
