The Department of Education (DepEd) has downloaded P9 billion to its local offices nationwide to help ensure the availability of self-learning modules when classes start on Aug. 24.
“DepEd has funds to reproduce learning modules,” said Education Undersecretary and Spokesperson Annalyn Sevilla. “We have downloaded funds down to division offices, totaling about P9 billion already,” she added.
Sevilla said that the guidelines on the use of funds has also been released to regional offices as well as to schools division offices.
Meanwhile, she noted that the actual contributions from Special Education Funds (SEF) from the local government units (LGUs) and from “Brigada Eskwela” program shall be “considered in the provision of funds to cover learning resources.”
Hence, Sevilla said that the calibration and prioritization of funds are given on the regional and division levels as “they are on the ground and have more accurate data in terms of actual enrolment and actual external contributions.”
With the absence of face-to-face learning this school year 2020-2021 due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, DepEd will use the blended and distance learning approach wherein lessons will be delivered to the students through printed or digital modules which can be delivered to the homes of the students or picked up by their parents at designated places, within coordinated schedules; through online learning resources such as the DepEd Commons; and through television or radio-based instruction.
Based on the results of the Learner Enrollment and Survey Form (LESF) gathered from both public and private schools nationwide, DepEd said that 8.8 million parents prefer modular for their children; 3.9 million parents chose blended modality or a combination of two or more alternative learning modalities; 3.8 million parents opted for online; 1.4 million parents prefer educational television and at least 900,000 chose radio-based instruction.
As of Aug. 5, DepEd national enrollment data showed that there are 22.66 million students enrolled for the upcoming school year or 81.5 percent of SY 2019-2020 enrollment. Of this number, 21.16 million students enrolled in public schools while 1.46 million learners registered in private schools.