he Department of Education (DepEd) is considering online classes for the next school year as a contingency measure for millions of students in the country if the COVID-19 pandemic persists.
“The Information and Communication Technology-based adjustments will have to be made as a major feature for teaching and learning,” DepEd undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said during a virtual press briefing on Monday.
DepEd recently launched “DepEd Commons” an online platform to help students resume their classes amid the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine.
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It can be accessed by public school teachers to support remote learning and provides online review materials and Open Educational Resources (OERs).
A total of 446,787 unique users have signed up for the said platform according to DepEd.
However, some public school teachers aired their concern about this setup like Charry Patron who told CNN Philippines that not all students have access to gadgets required for online learning.
These challenges were acknowledged by DepEd officials and said they are aware of the limitations of online-based education. But they stressed that they had to make it work.
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“In this extraordinary situation we find ourselves in, we must walk before we run. We must start somewhere and work our way towards the ideal where all teachers and learners in the country can access such resources,” DepEd Undersecretary Alain Pascua pointed out.
The state education agency stressed that online education is only given as an option for those who have access to such medium and those who do not have the means to access it can opt for alternative platforms.
DepEd added that they are still preparing for school opening in June.
