Recognizing that not all students might need to “catch up” with foundational skills such as reading, the Department of Education (DepEd) plans to integrate peer tutoring as part of its Catch-Up Fridays program.
“Pwede din natin gawin or i-institute sa ating mga eskwelahan para yung (It is also possible for us to implement or institute it in our schools so that the) concern or sensitivity towards a fellow learner would also be trained or would also be developed among our learners,” said DepEd Deputy Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary for Operations Francis Bringas in a DZXL interview on Thursday, March 14.
“We will do that, iyong mga peer tutoring natin para ma-encourage din yung ating mga struggling readers na bigyan ng mas magandang oras yung kanilang pagkatututo sa pagbasa (We will do that, our peer tutoring to encourage our struggling readers to dedicate better time to their reading learning),” he added.
Launched on Jan. 12, Catch-Up Fridays is a learning mechanism intended to strengthen foundational, social, and other relevant skills necessary to realize the objectives of the basic education curriculum.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/13/what-is-catch-up-fridays
As stated in DepEd Memorandum No. 001 series of 2024, DepEd said all Fridays throughout the school year are designated as Catch-up Fridays.
Initial concerns
Three months after its implementation, teachers’ groups were raising concerns about Catch-Up Fridays.
Among the concerns raised by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) is the “increase in student absenteeism and tardiness” on Fridays. Other concerns include a lack of preparation and materials for the program and the additional burden on the teachers.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2024/3/7/suspend-catch-up-fridays-dep-ed-told
Until these issues are addressed, both groups are urging DepEd to halt the implementation of Catch-Up Fridays.
Adjustments to be made
Amid these calls, DepEd remained firm that it would continue the program.
“Itutuloy pa din natin ang Catch-Up Fridays (We will continue with our Catch-Up Fridays),” Bringas said.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2024/3/12/catch-up-fridays-to-continue-dep-ed
“We are on the third month of the implementation, siyempre, gina-gather natin yung mga feedback coming from all the schools in the country (We are on the third month of the implementation, of course, we are gathering feedback from all the schools in the country),” he added.
Bringas said the adjustments will be based on the feedback from the school implementers.
“Definitely, magkakaroon tayo ng enhancement para mas maging structured yung ating implementation ng mga subjects natin during Fridays (We will have enhancements to make our implementation of subjects during Fridays more structured),” he added.
RELATED STORY:
https://mb.com.ph/2024/3/2/dep-ed-s-catch-up-fridays-not-optimal-for-learning-recovery