Recognizing the importance of providing first-hand experience to learners, the Department of Education (DepEd) schools division office of Antique decided to roll out its mobile laboratory even amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

To help ensure that learners will learn from appropriate modalities, the SDO Antique created mobile laboratories. These are also intended for students so that they can learn based on the modules and “first-hand” experience.

The Technical and Vocational Livelihood (TVL) Mobile Laboratory started in School Year (SY) 2020-2021 when distance learning was implemented nationwide due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Through the TVL, the teachers bring to the communities the equipment for Bread and Pastry, Food and Beverage Services, Cookery, and Electrical Installation and Maintenance to better explain to the learners the lessons.

Antique Schools Division Superintendent Felisa Beriong said that it was Region 6 Director Ramir Uytico who encouraged them to push through with the project because he saw the potential of the TVL Mobile Laboratory to enhance “authentic learning” by building a Science Lab.

Beriong then led the creation of the “Science Mobile Baul Laboratory” to provide great opportunity to use the microscope and perform experiments using complete tools.

Meanwhile, Antique National School (ANS) Principal Roger Jomolo emphasized the importance of such innovations for effective learning of students.

“These are good for learners, with no equipment at home like oven or beaker,” Jomolo said. “Not all of them have internet access there are competencies that are easier to learn when the children are provided with hands-on opportunities,” he added in a mix of English and Filipino.

For Grade 10 STE learner Rojane Delos Reyes, changes brought by blended learning which is implemented again this SY 2021-2022 make learning more effective among students like him.

Delos Reyes explained that compared to before when major subjects are only taught twice a week, learning concepts especially in subjects like Science is more effective since these are taught five days a week.

While the expansion of the said project in other municipalities is still in the planning stage, the SDO Antique expressed hope that with the complete approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), interventions like these, “hands-on learning” will become a reality even amidst the pandemic.