The Department of Education (DepEd) has rolled out its Catch-Up Fridays program in public schools nationwide on Friday, Jan. 12.
“We saw happy and engaged students and teachers,” DepEd’s Curriculum and Teaching Strand said in a statement when asked to give an update on the first implementation of the program.
Catch-Up Fridays, as per DepEd, is a “leaming mechanism intended to strengthen the foundational, social, and other relevant skills necessary to actualize the intent of the basic education curriculum.”
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DepEd explained that schools started to implement Catch-up Fridays with a focus on Drop Everything And Read (DEAR).
“In the schools we visited, students were reading books they brought, borrowed from classmates, provided by schools from libraries or library hubs, or provided by LGUs [Local Government Units],” DepEd said.
On the first Catch-Up Fridays, DepEd officials “saw a variety of reading materials, and strategies used by teachers to engage students in reading.”
DepEd clarified that Catch-up Fridays shall “not be graded” since its main objective is to reinforce learning and individual progress.
While Catch-Up Fridays is implemented only in public schools, DepEd said the private schools can also adopt the initiative.
The program covers elementary and secondary schools and community learning centers (CLCs) nationwide.
In DepEd Memorandum No. 001 series of 2024 issued on Jan. 10, DepEd said the initiative is integral in the National Reading and Mathematics Programs which are critical subprograms of the National Learning Recovery Plan (NLRP).
“All Fridays throughout the school year shall be designated as Catch-up Fridays, with a focus on operationalizing the National Reading Program (NRP) during the first half of the day's schedule and on fostering Values, Health, and Peace Education for the second half,” DepEd said.
“Additionally, the Homeroom Guidance Program (HGP) shall also be included in the Catch-up Fridays,” DepEd added.
Teachers were directed to employ an “integrative approach to teaching.” They were also asked to engage in collaborative expertise sessions through Learning Action Cells (LAC) and other professional development activities to “share effective practices and prepare materials together” for the effective implementation of Catch-up Fridays.
Schools, on the other hand, were highly encouraged to “forge and strengthen” stakeholder engagement to gather support and ensure the sustainability of Catch-up Fridays.
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