Education Secretary Leonor Briones, on Monday, disputed reports that the Department of Education (DepEd) is not ready for blended learning as schools open on August 24.
“I would like to dispute that, we are still in the month of June, and our original proposal is to open on August 24,” Briones said.
“These approaches are not really new,” Briones said, referring to the use of alternative learning modalities.
DepEd also reiterated that no face-to-face classes would be conducted this year, and “lessons will be delivered to the students in the comfort and safety of their [learners’] homes through the various methods.”
“We have been monitoring policies, and we have been preparing for the eventuality of having to develop alternatives,” she added.
The DepEd Secretary said the education department would print and digitize modules to be given to students. They would also utilize the use of online learning resources such as “DepEd Commons” and television or radio-based instruction.
“It is not as if there’s a particular situation, and we accept it as it is and wait for things for change,” Briones said. “We have to be instrumental in bringing the change ourselves, and we cannot wait because we will have a lot of catching up to do.”
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier expressed his doubts on DepEd’s readiness for the implementation of blended learning.
“He said, ‘I don’t know if we are ready for that’ and that’s different from saying that we are not ready… he even said that he will support us in terms of funding,” Briones noted.
Vice President Leni Robredo also had reservations on the opening of classes.
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DepEd ready for blended learning
Briones, however, said she is confident DepEd could deliver blended or distance learning effectively.
“We have been doing distance learning or blended learning for decades and decades, and we even have a university, [the University of the Philippines], which [has been specializing] in distance education for the longest time,” she said.
“We just don’t notice it because we are used to face-to-face learning, but since it’s not possible to do it now, then we have to think and look at the existing mechanisms.”
Briones also said of the 7,000 teachers they surveyed, “87 percent of them have desktops, laptops, and cellular phones.”
“We always assume that teachers don’t have laptops, that they don’t have desktops, but a high number of them have in their homes, and we will also provide [these for] them.