The Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) has announced that students will remain in their homes and study remotely with the suspension of face-to-face classes until a vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) will be available in the country.
DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones thanks President Duterte’s support to explore alternative learning methods so that students will continue to learn within their homes while staying safe away from the risks of contracting COVID-19.
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Secretary Briones affirms that the Education department is preparing for the resumption of school operations based on the Basic Education — Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) with an entirely different setup.
“We are updating our policies, realigning our finances, and collaborating with our partners so that our goals of providing quality education and protecting the safety and health of our constituents will be achieved,” said Briones during a briefing.
The Education Secretary also stated that teachers are currently being trained for blended learning and usage of new platforms to help students learn.
“At the same time, teachers are being trained on utilizing newer platforms and innovative tools to aid their professional development,” Briones said.
Reports from the Philippine News Agency further that to ensure the effectiveness of these alternative learning methods, she said the DepEd is working with the private sector and education experts to make the necessary steps “logically sound, especially on the development, acquisition and deployment of learning resources.”
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For the duration of its implementation of the BE-LCP, she said the DepEd would provide regular assessment reports to the public which it previously committed to the House of Representatives.
Last week, the DepEd announced that a total of 5,204,949 students have enrolled in both public and private schools nationwide during the first week of its remote enrollment system, as per reports from the Philippine News Agency.
The enrollment, which is for school year 2020-2021, is done through the phone or through online platforms and will last until June 30.
