P209M earmarked for tablets, modules for Quezon City University studes

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City government has approved a total of P209-million budget for the Quezon City University (QCU) to provide modules and tablets for its students, upon the reopening of the 2020-2021 school year in September.

The university is preparing to shift to flexible learning modalities, which include offline, online, and blended learning, the local government said Tuesday.

“Aside from providing modules and tablets for our public-school students, we also need to provide for our city’s college students as they too shall adapt the new normal in learning,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a statement.

Belmonte, who is also the chairperson of the university’s board of regents, said one program in the pipeline is the QCU Laptop Loan, where both students and teachers with limited access to learning devices can loan laptops during their stay at the universities.

QCU officer-in-charge Dr. Victor Endriga said while the university will still conduct offline classes for technical and practical learning, the class size will be reduced to only 15-20 students.

Funds have also been allocated to the procurement of additional medical supplies and equipment, he added.

The budget will also cover learning management systems for virtual learning, internet connectivity for students and faculty, computer software for all degree programs and online reference materials, and development of academic management systems for online processing of enrollment.

The university — which has three campuses located in San Bartolome, San Francisco and Batasan — projects a total enrollment of around 9,000 college students.

However, one of the campuses has been turned into a quarantine facility, but the local government assured “thorough and stringent” disinfection will be conducted in and around the campus.

“We will ensure that all classrooms and buildings will be decontaminated prior to the beginning of classes. Health protocols and guidelines will also be implemented to ascertain the health and safety of the school community,” City Education Affairs Head Aly Medalla said.

Hope II Community Caring Facility, currently home to the city’s COVID-19 patients undergoing mandatory quarantine in QCU, is set to be transferred to the newly renovated Quezon City General Hospital Covid19 extension ward with a 300-bed capacity by August 2020.

EDV