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MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) is not requiring students to engage in time travel after all and do interviews during the Spanish era.
On Wednesday, the DepEd said it was investigating a learning material that went viral online and that carried the instruction that students interview someone from the Spanish colonial period.
“Upon verification by the DepEd Error Watch, it was found that the material in question was not developed nor quality-assured by the department or any DepEd office,” the agency said in a statement.
In the learning material, the students were told to “ask a person who experienced the Spanish era” and to “let him/her tell you about how they managed during those times.”
The students were further instructed to gather what they learned from the interview and make a generalization of the ideas, or do a role-play of possible scenes during the period.
The Spanish colonial era lasted for three centuries and ended in 1898.
In its statement, the DepEd called on the public to remain vigilant on disinformation and unverified information circulating on the internet.
It also urged parents and stakeholders to report issues concerning learning modules directly to the schools or to the DepEd Error Watch through its email errorwatch@deped.gov.ph or telephone No. 0961-680-5334.
As expected, comments on the “module” erupted online.
In a Twitter post, lawyer and professor Jay Batongbacal said that since the Spanish period ended in 1898, students should have been provided with a ouija board, or a device used to supposedly connect with spirits of the departed.
One netizen said: “Even the grandparents of the kids did not reach the Spanish era … Who thought of that activity?”
On Facebook, someone suggested using the time machine of Doraemon, a fictional robotic cat from a Japanese series that can travel back in time from the 22nd century.
Another netizen commented: “Try to roam around the cemetery, maybe they can find someone they can talk to.”
But while many people poked fun at the learning material, some pointed out that the “module” was in color while textbooks issued by the DepEd were usually in black and white.
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