DepEd tosses authority to allow OVP learning hubs to Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has no authority to stop the Office of Vice President Leni Robredo from implementing its community learning hub program, Secretary Leonor Briones said Friday.

Briones said this as she insisted that the department has no partnership with the Office of Vice President (OVP) regarding its learning hubs which aim to help students who have no access to gadgets needed for learning.

“Ang DepEd wala namang authority, kasi ang authority na dyan tungkol sa face-to-face learning ay nasa Presidente,” Briones said in a televised briefing when asked if DepEd will stop the operation of the learning hubs.

(DepEd has no authority. The authority on face-to-face learning is with the President.)

“Wala kaming awtoridad na patawan ng parusa o anuman ang OVP dahil wala yan sa aming mandate sa Department of Education,” she went on.

(We don’t have the authority to sanction the OVP because it is not included in the Department of Education’s mandate.)

Briones admitted there must have been “miscommunication” between the DepEd and the OVP regarding the program.

Meanwhile, the OVP gave assurance that minimum health requirements will be observed in its learning hubs.

It also noted that the learning hubs are not classrooms with regular in-person classes, but only an area where students can get access to gadgets and the internet in light of the distance learning is implemented.

EDV