With online enrolment for the Aug. 24, 2020 opening of classes now on its second week, the Department of Education in Catanduanes is in the midst of finalizing the 1st quarter modules for all grade levels and subjects.
It is also working out where the budget for the printing of the modules will come from, including each school’s Maintenance & Other Operating Expenditures (MOOE), as the reproduction of the learning materials could prove costly depending on the materials and process used.
The other Monday, Catanduanes Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Danilo Despi and other officials stressed the need for collaboration and synergy to resolve problems the country’s educational system is facing.
The two-week online enrolment window will be followed by the no-contact enrolment at school kiosks and barangay halls where the forms will be available for parents without digital access. The schedules for the opening of the kiosks will be set by school principals, he added.
On the other hand, he clarified that documentary requirements can be submitted as late as December this year as the DepEd is not very strict on this aspect.
Advisers will ensure that those eligible can enroll to a higher level, he added.
He admitted, however, that there are many loopholes and deficiencies in the blended learning program, which cannot substitute for the face-to-face engagement, but DepEd will make sure it would be up to standards.
The self-learning modules will also have pre-tests and post-tests suitable for pupils, Dr. Despi bared.
The drawback is that anyone other than the child can answer the assignments, he said, but the parents should realize that it will not help their children learn.
“Children at home need to continue their mental development,” Assistant SDS Luisa dela Rosa stressed, “even if it is not a perfect way to learn. We do not want their minds to remain stagnant kaysa walang mapag-aralan ang mga bata.”
“We must give them opportunities to learn,” she added, noting that the modules will be like talking teachers who will provide activities to develop not only writing but psychomotor skills.
“We are orienting parents on how to enable their children to learn without face-to-face interaction, with a survey to determine which modality will be used,” Dr. Despi explained, adding that in the absence of digital access, modular distance learning or instruction will be used.
We can also have modular instruction plus online learning or face-to-face instruction as among the flexible options, he added.
Hard copies of modules will be distributed for home schooling so that the pupils will not be exposed to danger, he said, with principals to decide on how the modules will be delivered to the pupils.
Teachers will still play a big role as, aside from preparing the modules, they will monitor the child’s progress, SDS Despi stated.
If the child has yet to absorb the lesson, more lessons will be given before he can progress to the next, he said.
An assessment of the Learner Enrollment and Survey Form (LESF) to be submitted by parents will determine their capacity for digital learning, the division stated.
According to an initial survey of learners and teachers as far as capability to participate in an online platform is concerned, only 28 percent of children and 64 percent of teachers have digital access.
We need to acquire materials, especially gadgets like laptops, smartphones and internet access, to be address this, Dr. Despi pointed out.
There will be no more usual Brigada Eskwela activities like repainting, he said, as the division needs donations of television sets, wifi, routers, laptops, disinfection liquids, foot baths, hand washing facilities, and washable face masks for pupils as well as cash assistance for the printing of modules.
On the possibility that internet speed will decrease once the online learning platform is used, the DepEd official said internet providers like Philippine Long Distance Telecommunications (PLDT) should increase bandwidth capacity.
For Physical Education (PE) and Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE), the focus will be on the principles first before the exercises and games.