By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday announced that the guidelines for its streamlined K to 12 curriculum may now be downloaded for free from its official online platform.
(DepEd / MANILA BULLETIN)
DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Pascua said DepEd’s Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) may now be downloaded for free on DepEd Commons (commons.deped.gov.ph/melc) starting Monday, June 15.
“We have made the MELCs available for free download at DepEd Commons to help our teachers focus on what is most essential given the challenge in learning delivery this school year,” Pascua said.
In an effort to continue the delivery of basic education to learners, DepEd Commons, an online platform for public school teachers to support distance learning modalities, was launched by DepEd in March. To date, DepEd Commons has at least eight million unique users from public and private schools as well as those enrolled under the Alternative Learning System (ALS).
Pascua said included in the link are the K to 12 MELCs and their corresponding guidelines, which were prepared by the Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD) under Director Jocelyn Andaya and approved by Curriculum and Instruction Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio.
Based on the guidelines, which is also downloadable for free, the MELCs is part of the DepEd’s response to “develop resilient education systems, especially during emergencies.” The MELCs will also enable DepEd to “focus instruction” on the most essential and indispensable competencies.
“We are trying to make everything as accessible as we can, through DepEd Commons and our other available channels,” Pascua said. It is upon us to make sure our teachers and learners have everything they need in order to continue learning,” he added.
The DepEd made the guidelines for MELCs available as “outdated and unaccredited” learning materials proliferate online. Earlier, the DepEd warned of groups and individuals selling printed learning materials and modules online, and reminded that these materials can all be accessed for free via DepEd Commons.
“We have received reports of chain emails circulating containing links to learning materials claiming to be from DepEd and DepEd Commons,” Pascua said. “Do not be hoodwinked by these emails purporting to be helping for a cause but are in fact misleading,” he added.
The DepEd assured that MELCs printouts will also be provided for those enrolled in public schools. With the implementation of blended/distance learning this coming school year (SY) 2020-2021, the DepEd said it is also working on using Radio and TV for instruction.
Revised K to 12 curriculum to be rolled out
The DepEd is set to roll out a revised curriculum for the coming SY 2020-2021 which highlights the streamlining of the K to 12 Curriculum to the MELCs. As the result of the curriculum review which started almost two years ago, DepEd’s BCD has compressed the curriculum to MELCs as part of its Basic Education - Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP).
As part of DepEd’s LCP, the K to 12 curriculum has been streamlined to 5,689 MECLs from the original 14,171, or a reduction by 60 percent to address curriculum review finding of "congestion and overlaps.”
Learning competencies, according to DepEd, refer to the “knowledge, understanding, skills, and attitudes that students need to demonstrate in every lesson and/or learning activity.”