As it readies for a school opening that is like no other, the Department of Education (DepEd) assured that preparations are in place to ensure that the opening of classes will be as smooth and orderly as possible.
DepEd, in a statement, acknowledged the support of parent and teacher organizations, national and local government units, private institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) to be implemented this School Year (SY) 2020-2021.
Amid the challenges the education system faces in the “new normal,” DepEd assured that it will “continue to make the necessary preparations fit for the needs of every teacher, parent, and learner to ensure that education continues while also giving the utmost priority to their health and safety.”
DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan, in a recent online press conference, explained that the BE-LCP serves as the overall framework for this school year. The elements of the BE-LCP - as well as its principles - are also being used by regional offices to contextualize their respective alternative learning modalities according to the needs of the learners and teachers.
On the part of the DepEd Central Office, Malaluan said that support components have been put in place such as funding or budget requirements and training programs - among others.
Malaluan noted that the department continuously exerts efforts to communicate the LCP to various stakeholders - not just to the public but also to the policy makers as well as the supervising units including the President and other Cabinet members as part of DepEd’s school opening preparations.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones regularly provides an update on the LCP to concerned units as well as to lawmakers and leaders of local government units (LGUs) who are “very interested to know the state of preparations and readiness,” Malaluan said.
Malaluan also noted the participation of the “Education Forum for Inclusive Quality Basic Education” which helps DepEd in initiating education reforms.
The forum is composed of representatives coming from academic institutions, education-related organizations, and bilateral and multilateral organizations which support DepEd in the implementation of the LCP.
Meanwhile, Malaluan assured that preparations for school opening have already started at the regional and division levels.
“The preparations are already ongoing and the simulation at the local level are all in the run up to the culmination of our demonstration of readiness, nearer to what we may call our ‘D-Day’ on August 24,” he said.
Malaluan noted that DepEd has also created the Learning Resources and Platforms Committee to “look at the big picture of our readiness and I think we are moving at pace within our timetable.”
As part of DepEd’s preparations for the school opening, Undersecretary Revsee Escobedo explained that the enrollment has been extended until July 15 for those who intend to attend the upcoming school year.
“Our regional offices are planning for their simulation and they are also preparing for a dry run in various settings, for example for those schools in urban and rural areas, those located in the islands or in the mountains and even for those learning centers and integrated schools in barangay and those that offer the alternative learning system,” Escobedo explained in Filipino.