The Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday, September 18, warned the public against scams related to the opening of classes this upcoming school year.
DepEd, in a statement, said that the Central Office and the Office of Education Secretary Leonor Briones are not soliciting for funds or financial support from any individual or organization.
Likewise, DepEd warned the public against a “scam” by scrupulous individuals. DepEd reminded parents, students and all other concerned stakeholders against those joining contests that would provide DepEd with free devices or gadgets such as laptops and cellular phones.
“Ang DepEd ay hindi mamimigay ng ‘free wifi and gadgets’ sa pamamagitan ng anumang online giveaway, raffle draw, o contest (DepEd is not giving away ‘free wifi and gadgets’ through any online giveaways, raffle draw or contest),” the agency said.
DepEd reminded that learning continuity packages donated by various local government units (LGUs) and legitimate partners are provided to public schools to assist the implementation of distance learning this School Year (SY) 2020-2021.
The DepEd stressed that the beneficiaries of these donations from the local governments are the teachers and students. For monitoring, DepEd said that the donated gadgets or devices are coursed through DepEd regional offices (ROs), schools division offices (SDOs) and public schools.
DepEd urged the public to report the people responsible for these scams and other dubious activities or events related to the school opening by sending an email to [email protected].
To avoid being victimized by these scams, the public is advised to refer to the official social media accounts or channels of the department: DepEd Philippines (Facebook); twitter.com/DepEd_PH (Twitter); instagram.com/depedphilippines (Instagram); and www.deped.gov.ph (Website) for official announcements and other related information.