All TV stations urged: Allocate 3 hours a day  to educational programs

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives approved Monday a resolution urging all private and public television stations in the country to allot at least three hours a day to educational programs.

House Resolution No. 1263 asserts that the responsibility of providing school-age children with stimuli that will ensure continuous learning at home is “equally shared by parents, school authorities, and media companies which programs are easily accessible and available to students.”

“It is imperative that the private sector works actively with the government to ensure that despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing requirement which has adversely affected the education sector, school children shall continue to get the best possible opportunities to learn and become conscientious and productive citizens,” the resolution states.

Further, the resolution says that allowing time for educational programs will help foster holistic learning and education “to keep the government on track in its commitment to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.”

According to the resolution, about 20 million Filipino households have television sets, which is considered a high penetration rate considering that there are 22.98 million households in the country in 2015 as per the Philippine Statistics Authority.

“Television could play a significant role in shaping the values of school-age children because it is the cheapest and most accessible information platform in the country,” the resolution states.

In light of the pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) implemented a blended learning system where modules, radio, television, and internet are utilized as means of instruction.

School Year 2020-2021 started October 5 but was met with issues such as poor internet connectivity in some areas, among others.

KGA

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