Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones lauded the efforts of local government units (LGUs), Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), and other stakeholders for guiding and supporting parents and families in the blended learning setup of their children.

During the Educating Our Children in the New Normal Webinar, Briones acknowledged the different interventions of stakeholders to capacitate guardians of learners.

"This is a feature of our new approach to expand the role of parents. Because kids spend in great deal of time at home and they need help with monitoring. So, we have parent academies that are being set up in urban areas, in islands, and in cities," Briones said in Filipino.

Briones commended the Nanay-Teacher Enhancement Program (NTEP) initiative of the LGU of Valenzuela City, which educates parents on approaches to guide their children in studying.

NTEP organizes virtual meetings and Kamustahan group discussions to discuss the difficulties parents are facing and how they can overcome them.

A Parents Academy was also launched by PTA in the Cordillera Administrative Region. Apart from parents, the academy is also open to anyone who is part of the learning process of learners at home.

In Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte, Parent Group Circles (PGC) have been established in Parang Elementary School to cascade information and instruction to parents and to also train parents to ensure their children become strong readers.

Briones noted that these projects supplement the initiatives of the department in the implementation of Basic Education-Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP).

“These are the things that we are already doing and encouraging. Itong mga programs na ito (These programs) are places where they can coach each other and learn from each other,” she added.