Due to quarantine restrictions, the Department of Education (DepEd), after consulting with schools nationwide, has decided to move the school year 2020-2021 to begin on Aug. 24 and ends on Apr. 30, 2021.
In a public briefing today, May 5, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that the Inter-Agency Task Force will decide per area whether the classes will be held virtually or within school grounds depending on the number of COVID-19 cases.
According to Briones, DepEd has conducted surveys for flexible learning options schools may implement during quarantine. Some schools are ready to begin holding online classes, while there are others who can continue classes via cellphone, television or for faraway provinces, radios.
However, for online classes, Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan asks parents and guardians to supervise the educational materials their children may be engaging with, especially given the risk of cyberbullying. Meanwhile, DepEd ensures that all content for e-learning is reviewed by the department’s Bureau of Learning Resources and Bureau of Curriculum Development.
DepEd encourages schools to review their original curriculum to accommodate the changes. School activities like fairs, campus journalism and sporting events will be canceled.
Teachers will undergo capacity building to study new platforms and programs for students starting June.
Header photo courtesy of Lyn Rillon from Inquirer.net
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Writer: THEA TORRES
