Benguet ditches online classes; students to get printed modules

BAGUIO CITY—Education officials in Benguet province will not resort to online classes as they have already prepared printed modules with audiovisual instruction materials that will be distributed to homes when classes resume on Aug. 24.

Benilda Daytaca, Benguet schools division superintendent, said online learning would not be practical in the province due to internet connection issues and lack of necessary gadgets.

Citing a survey they conducted, Daytaca said most families also preferred a “blended learning” approach, which would replace a classroom setup.

Rizalyn Guznian, head of the curriculum implementation division of Benguet, said the modules had been approved by the academic review boards of the district and division offices.

Local governments have committed to help finance the printing and reproduction of learning materials. Many households have radio and television sets with USB ports that are compatible with flash drives, according to Daytaca.

Instructional guides

She said they had started producing the audiovisual instructional guides that would be placed in flash drives that students could access through their radio and TV sets.

The Department of Education (DepEd) in Benguet has partnered with a local filming studio to produce the audiovisual materials.

“We wanted to help local businesses that are also affected by the pandemic so we partnered with a local studio,” Daytaca said, adding that they would also need volunteers to augment regular teachers for villages without teachers.

As of Wednesday, 74,383 students had registered in all grade levels in public schools, compared to 82,284 last year, the DepEd said. —KIMBERLIE QUITASOL