By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
While its key officials are still deliberating on the adjustments to be made for the opening of the coming school year, the Department of Education (DepEd) said that it is bracing for the “new normal” in education amid the COVID-19 situation in the country.
(Ali Vicoy / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
DepEd Undersecretary and Spokesperson Annalyn Sevilla, in an interview over DZBB, said that there while there is no formal decision yet on the opening of classes for School Year (SY) 2020-2021, the agency—through concerned units—has been finalizing a Learning Continuity Plan to ensure that “education will continue during emergencies.”
In response to COVID-19, Sevilla explained that members of the DepEd Management Committee—led by Education Secretary Leonor Briones—have been “discussing policies and possible adjustments” to the school opening of the SY 2020-2021 which was originally scheduled to start on June 1 for public schools.
Earlier, Briones said that DepEd is conducting a nationwide consultation with stakeholders and education experts. Currently, DepEd is preparing a Learning Continuity Plan on “how to deliver education to learners is also being prepared in case the opening of classes gets pushed back.”
Changes are inevitable
Sevilla explained that the COVID-19 situation will definitely usher in a “new normal in the education system.” Thus, DepEd has to prepare to adjust to the changes in the education environment to ensure learning will not be further disrupted.
For instance, Sevilla said that schools may no longer be allowed to practice previously-prescribed student-teacher ratio since social distancing would still be encouraged. “We cannot have over 50 students in one classroom,” she explained in Filipino. To address this, DepEd is looking into the possibility of alternating school days for students or staggered conduct of classes—among other feasible interventions.
What was considered as “minority” before, Sevilla said may become the new normal amid the COVID-19 situation. “Before, there was a small percentage of learners who subscribe to online learning or homeschooling compared to formal schooling but with the current situation, this may be reversed,” she added.
Even before the outbreak, Sevilla said DepEd has existing interventions to be used for education in emergencies. “We have alternative delivery modes (ADMs) which we have been using for learners who miss out on school due to natural calamities and others,” she said.
When it comes to the scheduled school opening in June, Sevilla said that there might be a “big possibility” to move the opening of classes but all decisions of DepEd “will have to be dependent on the projections” of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF). Sevilla said that DepEd is preparing for various scenarios as a response to COVID-19. “Definitely, we will come up with a more concrete proposal,” she explained. “But all the possible adjustments will be presented to the IATF first,” she added.
Among the major considerations for school opening, Sevilla also considered the timeline of the COVID-19 situation, the preparation needed to adapt to changes and the facilities and equipment that would be needed for the intervention in schools. “We would need at least three months of preparation for the possible adjustments to the school opening,” Sevilla said. During this time, DepEd will need to train its teachers to implement the adjustments as well as to prepare the needed facilities and equipment, if any.
As many schools were used as COVID-19 isolation centers or quarantine areas, among others, Sevilla underscored the need to ensure that all school facilities have to be “disinfected or decontaminated first” before these can be used by both learners and teachers.
Sevilla said that DepEd is also looking into partnerships with local government units (LGUs) to ensure that education of learners will continue. Aside from LGUs, DepEd also aims to strengthen partnerships with parents or guardians. “Parents play a big role in the education of their children, and during this time, we urge them to ensure that learning will continue at home,” she said.
More than ever, Sevilla said that parents should take advantage of the opportunity for them to teach their children on problem-solving, resilience and preparedness for times of emergencies, among others. “Children can teach older people while they are at home too by helping to be more familiarized with the use of technology,” she added.
While the coming school year will be full of disruptions related to COVID-19, Sevilla assured that DepEd continues to prepare for various scenarios to ensure that learning of students will continue. “While there might be uncertainties, change is really inevitable,” she said.
Currently, Sevilla said that DepEd is also monitoring trends on COVID-19, estimates coming from the experts as well as the peak of the statistics. “As much as we would want to open our schools, we remain very supportive to flatten the curve that’s why we will listen to the experts and the decision of IATF which first may be announced by May,” she ended.