Gatchalian eyes probe into DepEd remote lessons after drawing flak for ‘typo errors’

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is eyeing a Senate inquiry into the content of lessons being used by the Department of Education (DepEd) for distance learning after the department drew flak for grammatical and typographical errors on some of its episodes that had seen broadcast.

DepEd has started the test broadcast of TV episodes on state-run networks but photos from a Grade 8 lesson recently went viral as netizens slammed what they called as “painful” errors in the lesson.

“We’ll probably have another hearing on the content aspect of distance learning because quality control is very important,” Gatchalian, chair of the Senate basic education committee, said in a statement.

DepEd has already acknowledged the errors and vowed to make improvements on its TV broadcast content.

Nevertheless, Gatchalian emphasized that quality control should not be compromised amid the rush to make learning materials available in time for the opening of classes.

“Mahalagang tutukan natin kung paano masisigurong dekalidad ang edukasyon na natatanggap nila kahit na sila ay nasa mga tahanan nila,” he said.

(It’s important to focus on how we can ensure that we are putting out quality education to students even in the comfort of their own homes.)

The senator reiterated that the reach of television makes it a viable tool for distance learning, especially for those who have no available internet connectivity.

Gatchalian cited a report from global telecom and media firm Dataxis which showed that 18.7 million Filipino households have televisions in 2019, a number that is expected to increase to 20.7 million by 2024.

Classes are slated to start on August 24, under a distance learning set-up as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, with numbers rising to close to 150,000 on Thursday.

Public and private schools were instructed to use various alternative learning modalities such as but not limited distance or online learning, and homeschooling.

Lessons for Kinder to Grade 12 students will also be made available on DepEd TV, DepEd Radio, and can be downloaded from DepEd Commons.

As of August 12, there are 21.5 million registered students in public school from kindergarten to high school nationwide, including learners with disabilities and students under the alternative learning system.

Of these, 2.14 million are from Metro Manila.

EDV