MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) will soon reveal the details of its “continuity learning plan” for students should classes continue to be suspended because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.
Gatchalian, chair of the Senate basic education committee, said he participated in a meeting with DepEd officials in a teleconference to discuss the opening of classes in June as well as the continuity learning plan.
“They unveiled what they call a continuity learning plan. So ibig-sabihin meron silang plano kung paano mag-deliver ng education sa ating mga kabataan…wala pang detalye pero they just unveiled the concept kung paano gagawin yun,” Gatchalian said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
(They unveiled what they call a continuity learning plan. This means they have a plan to continue delivering education to our students…they have yet to issue details on it but they just unveiled the concept).
“Kung merong krisis alam nilang anong gagawin natin sa pagtuturo dahil hindi naman pwedeng hindi magturo,” he added.
(In times of crisis, they would know how to continue teaching).
According to Gatchalian, DepEd will release details of the plan next month.
“Pinagusapan namin broadly at i-unveil nila yan in the next 30 days kung ano yung mga detalye,” he said.
(We discussed it broadly and the details of the plan will be unveiled in the next 30 days).
“Ang very crucial ngayon ay within April, within this month, titignan natin yung situation para maka- decide tayo kung may pasok sa June or ide-delay ito ng a few months bago tayo magkaroon ng pasok,” he added.
(What’s crucial now is within this month, we will asses the situation so that we can decide whether classes will open in June or it will be delayed for a few months).
But the senator noted that under the law, the opening of classes can only be postponed until August.
“If ever magpo-postpone tayo, under the law, pwede lang until August unless we amend the law for this particular reason dahil iba ito nangyari sa atin eh,” Gatchalian said.
(If ever we postpone, we can only postpone until August under the law unless we amend the law for this particular reason because what’s happening right now is different).
“Kung 18 months pa ang vaccine, ‘di naman tayo pwede maghintay ng 18 months bago tayo magkaroon ng pasok,” he added.
(Say we wait until 18 months for the vaccine, we can’t wait that long before we open classes).
If classes do resume in June, the lawmaker said schools would need to practice several mitigating measures.
“Kung magkaka-klase tayo, obviously we need to practice many new mitigating measures, yung social distancing, yung bawal mag gatherings mag kumpol-kumpol, so how will it affect the teaching of DepEd? Anong klaseng methodology or anong klaseng pagtuturo yung gagawin nila?” he added.
(If we would open classes, obviously, we need to practice many new mitigating measures, like social distancing, we can’t have gatherings or congregation, so how will it affect the teaching of DepEd? What kind of methodology will they use or what kind of teaching will they do?)
DepEd officials earlier said that the agency is currently deliberating whether or not to postpone the opening of classes in June.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier placed the entire Luzon under an enhanced community quarantine because of the rising COVID-19 cases in the country.
The quarantine went into effect on March 17 and was initially set to be lifted on April 13. The quarantine period, however, has been extended until April 30.