Robredo visits Quezon learning hubs; OVP assures students’ safety

Vice President Leni Robredo visited the Community Learning Hubs put up by the OVP and its partners in Quezon province on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2020. OVP

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo has inspected various community learning hubs in Lucena City, Quezon, her office said Thursday.

According to the Office of the Vice President (OVP), Robredo visited four hubs in Lucena, specifically those that cater to children living in Barangay Talao-Talao, Barangay Dalahican, Barangay Cotta, and Barangay XI.

Vice President Leni Robredo visited the Community Learning Hubs put up by the OVP and its partners in Quezon province on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2020. OVP

Photos from OVP showed Robredo checking on the systems in place at the four education hubs, which have been operational since late last year.

The community learning hubs is a project by OVP and its private sector partners, wherein students enrolled either through online classes or blended learning using modules are given assistance for their school requirements.

Due to health restrictions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) has barred face-to-face classes which left many students struggling with the new education techniques.

Under the scheme, students would visit the hubs once a week to use computers and internet connection available within the facilities to help them with their studies and other requirements.

“Community Learning Hubs offer various forms of assistance for learners, including the availability of computers and other gadgets, printers and scanners, and learning materials,” OVP said.

Vice President Leni Robredo visited the Community Learning Hubs put up by the OVP and its partners in Quezon province on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2020. OVP

“Volunteers are also trained as tutors, so they can help the students with their distance learning modules. These facilities are able to help children at various grade levels, including non-readers and those with learning difficulties,” it added.

It can be recalled that OVP’s establishment of community learning hubs attracted controversy after DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones distanced herself from the project, saying President Rodrigo Duterte’s ban on face-to-face classes remained.

But OVP countered it by saying the education centers were coordinated with DepEd, and study areas were not a mode of face-to-face classes because students get to visit only once a week, on a limited scale, and for just a few hours of tutoring.

Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez even noted that DepEd did not oppose the learning hubs until it was brought up in a Malacañang press briefing last November.

Vice President Leni Robredo visited the Community Learning Hubs put up by the OVP and its partners in Quezon province on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2020. OVP

DepEd then answered by saying they welcomed the study centers but any mode of face-to-face learning is still not allowed.

On Thursday, OVP again insisted its community learning hubs adhere to safety standards and protocols amid the health crisis.

“Health and sanitation protocols are implemented, along with a schedule for small batches of learners, in order to ensure physical distancing,” OVP added.