TACLOBAN City – As learners and educators adapt to the new normal, the biggest high school in Eastern Visayas has setup 11 module pickup hubs in the city and nearby municipalities to ensure easy access to learning materials for over 10,000 learners.
Leyte National High School Information Officer Bernie Jude Lamoglar said that they have set up “Iya, Kadi Learning Packet Stations” in churches, malls, grocery stores, parks, and gymnasiums.
"The parents have been informed of the pickup stations while our teachers are working from home," Lamoglar shared.
All stations will be open on Mondays except for the school campus that would cater to parents, who will pick up their modules at any time of the week.
He added that they have printed over 10,000 modules for free, including envelopes, because they were still expecting more children to enroll. Each learner receives a 15- to 20-page weekly module prepared by the Department of Education (DepEd).
According to him, some of their students have not yet really decided where to enroll, but they have a buffer in these stations for parents who want to collect their children's modules even if they have not yet officially enrolled this school year.
The school has 8,000 enrollees, but its expects this number to reach 10,000, including those in senior high school, because of more transferees from private schools. At least 30 percent of the total enrolment opted for online learning based on the parents' preference.
However, Lamoglar clarified that online learning was similar to modular, only that the modules are in soft copy, and the parents no longer need to go to the school or to the pickup hubs to collect their modules. "There is interaction but no discussion of the lessons, the difference is only the platform," he noted.
The school official also stressed that they do not distribute modules and give considerations to learners who are under quarantine. The modules will be distributed after two weeks and they will require barangay clearance from those who will collect them.
"We acknowledge that the health and safety of everyone are of paramount importance so we will do this in such a way that we will not compromise the health of our parents," he added.
After collecting the modules, they will be disinfected in a UV room for the safety of the teachers. They also require parents to wear face masks and face shields in collecting their modules. Students are not allowed to pick up their modules, and the school uses its own QR code system for tracking.
Meanwhile, the official urged the parents not to force their children in answering their school activities. He also admitted that they have not yet decided on the grading system under the blended learning scheme.
"We encourage parents to help their children but they should not be the one answering the modules. Instead, we encourage them to allow their children to make mistakes. It's okay because it's our job. We have an intervention for that. We call them up to check," he maintained.