The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday appealed to the general public to fact-check first the reported errors found in learning materials or modules before bashing the government agency.
In a statement, DepEd said there are certain incidents when the agency is called out for supposed erroneous modules. In some incidents, it turn out that the information are the handiwork of saboteurs. “We hope that these incidents will remind us to always confirm module errors with concerned DepEd field offices,” DepEd said.
DepEd maintained that it remains as an “institution mandated to deliver quality, equitable, culture-based, and complete basic education, values, and promotes our nation’s arts and culture.”
It cited the recent social media posts of internationally acclaimed singer Lea Salonga, calling out DepEd for the errors supposedly found in modules distributed to students.
Salonga, in a Facebook post dated Nov. 17, expressed dismay over the learning material which implies that having a tattoo might be a symbol of being a criminal. In October, she also pointed out on social media an illustration showing an owl but was labeled an “ostrich.”
But the tattoo issue that went viral turned out to be the handiwork of a saboteur.
DepEd immediately sent a message to Salonga explaining the real content of the module.
In Nov. 21 post, the Tony Award winner said that a saboteur covered up a “big part of the page” to make “someone else look incompetent.” She then apologized to DepEd and noted that “I just want for our kids to get as good an education as they can get.”
DepEd welcomed Salonga’s apology. “We are grateful that acknowledged our sincere explanation, and apologized for her initial reaction regarding a Self-Learning Module (SLM) erratum that tackled a cultural topic,” DepEd said.
DepEd also noted that it is one with Salonga’s belief in “giving good education for our Filipino learners and in reminding the public to be wary of misinformation on module contents.”
Reacting to Salonga’s other post, DepEd also reiterated that the “previously posted modules containing ‘O an ostrich’ and ‘L for Rabbit’ were not produced” by agency. “We assure you that the Department will take the necessary measures to revise the errors found in our learning materials,” it added.