Manila Bulletin
Philippines
Gatchalian: Better to postpone school opening if DepEd is not ready with distance learning plans
Philippines
Gatchalian: Better to postpone school opening if DepEd is not ready with distance learning plans
Gatchalian: Better to postpone school opening if DepEd is not ready with distance learning plans
Published Jun 26, 2020 12:00 am
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Friday, June 26, that he will push for the postponement of the Aug. 24 school opening if he finds that the Department of Education (DepEd) is not yet ready to implement its distance learning plans.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian
(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) The chair of the Senate basic education committee said that while he sees the DepEd's efforts in preparing for the nationwide school opening, its readiness, as well as those of the teachers and students, should be considered. "Ang nakita ko kahapon (What I've seen from yesterday's hearing), DepEd is doing its very best para ma-achieve natin 'yong school opening ng Aug. 24 (so we can achieve the targeted school opening on Aug. 24). Nakita naman natin na gumagalaw (We recognize that they are doing their work)," Gatchalian said in a teleconference with reporters. "Pero we have to be realistic, dahil nga ang DepEd ay napakalaki at marami tayong mga estudyanteng aabutin, kung hindi aabot, I am not going to recommend to continue to Aug. 24, kung kulang yung self-learning modules, kung yung mga teachers natin hindi ready (But we have to be realistic, because the DepEd is huge and we have millions of students to reach, if they will not make it, I am not going to recommend to continue to Aug. 24, if our self-learning modules are lacking, if our teachers are not ready)," he said. "Dahil kung hindi tayo ready, walang matututunan yung bata, at magsasayang lang tayo ng pera (Because if we are not ready, the students will not learn anything and we will just waste funds). Kaya ang importante yung readiness natin (That's why our readiness is important)," he pointed out. The basic education committee on Thursday, June 25, conducted a hearing when DepEd officials admitted that 60 percent of the country's public school teachers have yet to be trained on teaching their students by blended and distance learning. Two months before the scheduled opening of the school year 2020-2021, the learning materials for students without internet access would also have to be printed. The DepEd has also yet to come up with a database or mapping about the students' capacities to cope with the alternative learning delivery modes. DepEd officials, however, assured senators that these issues will be addressed and be will be ready before Aug. 24. They said a dry-run of the distance learning will be conducted in the first half of August. Gatchalian said he gave the agency until July 15 to submit to the committee a "more in-depth assessment and recommendation" on its preparations for the school opening. The senator admitted, though, that he was not too optimistic about the belief that majority of students in the country have the necessary gadgets and access to internet to keep up with the online learning program. "Even in Metro Manila, may mga batang walang internet connectivity (there are children who do not have internet connectivity). So I’m not very optimistic na karamihan may internet, so talagang pupunta tayo sa tinatawag nating self-learning modules (so we will have to resort to what we called the self-learning modules)," he said. Gatchalian noted that Congress has already transmitted to President Rodrigo Duterte a bill that would allow the move of school opening beyond August.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) The chair of the Senate basic education committee said that while he sees the DepEd's efforts in preparing for the nationwide school opening, its readiness, as well as those of the teachers and students, should be considered. "Ang nakita ko kahapon (What I've seen from yesterday's hearing), DepEd is doing its very best para ma-achieve natin 'yong school opening ng Aug. 24 (so we can achieve the targeted school opening on Aug. 24). Nakita naman natin na gumagalaw (We recognize that they are doing their work)," Gatchalian said in a teleconference with reporters. "Pero we have to be realistic, dahil nga ang DepEd ay napakalaki at marami tayong mga estudyanteng aabutin, kung hindi aabot, I am not going to recommend to continue to Aug. 24, kung kulang yung self-learning modules, kung yung mga teachers natin hindi ready (But we have to be realistic, because the DepEd is huge and we have millions of students to reach, if they will not make it, I am not going to recommend to continue to Aug. 24, if our self-learning modules are lacking, if our teachers are not ready)," he said. "Dahil kung hindi tayo ready, walang matututunan yung bata, at magsasayang lang tayo ng pera (Because if we are not ready, the students will not learn anything and we will just waste funds). Kaya ang importante yung readiness natin (That's why our readiness is important)," he pointed out. The basic education committee on Thursday, June 25, conducted a hearing when DepEd officials admitted that 60 percent of the country's public school teachers have yet to be trained on teaching their students by blended and distance learning. Two months before the scheduled opening of the school year 2020-2021, the learning materials for students without internet access would also have to be printed. The DepEd has also yet to come up with a database or mapping about the students' capacities to cope with the alternative learning delivery modes. DepEd officials, however, assured senators that these issues will be addressed and be will be ready before Aug. 24. They said a dry-run of the distance learning will be conducted in the first half of August. Gatchalian said he gave the agency until July 15 to submit to the committee a "more in-depth assessment and recommendation" on its preparations for the school opening. The senator admitted, though, that he was not too optimistic about the belief that majority of students in the country have the necessary gadgets and access to internet to keep up with the online learning program. "Even in Metro Manila, may mga batang walang internet connectivity (there are children who do not have internet connectivity). So I’m not very optimistic na karamihan may internet, so talagang pupunta tayo sa tinatawag nating self-learning modules (so we will have to resort to what we called the self-learning modules)," he said. Gatchalian noted that Congress has already transmitted to President Rodrigo Duterte a bill that would allow the move of school opening beyond August.