BOOKWORMS | Grade 4 students in President Corazon Aquino Elementary School in Quezon City catch up on their reading as part of the Department of Education’s latest learning intervention program. (Photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) on Monday called out the Department of Education (DepEd) over the “abrupt” issuance of its order for the implementation of the “Catch-Up Fridays” learning intervention program in schools, saying it caught them and school heads by surprise.
Under the memo, half of all Fridays would be dedicated only to reading while the other half would be devoted to peace, values, and health education, in addition to the “Homeroom Guidance Program.”
According to ACT Chair Vladimer Quetua, the memorandum was issued on Jan. 10 while the program’s implementation started on Jan. 12, giving school personnel only two days to plan and prepare for the new program.
Quetua said this left teachers and even school heads “ill-equipped” as they did even not undergo proper orientation on how “Catch-Up Fridays” would be implemented.
“This is proof that DepEd issues directives without prior consultation with the teachers,” he said in a statement.
The DepEd, for its part, said it “actually recognizes” that teachers and school heads would need ample time to prepare for the learning intervention program.
The agency’s Curriculum Strand, through a message forwarded by DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa to the Inquirer, pointed out that this was why as stated in DepEd Memorandum No. 001, s. 2024, all Fridays of January would be devoted only to the “Drop Everything and Read” first.
Other activities set
It said that this was an “initial exercise and only one of the activities” for “Catch-Up Fridays.” There would be other reading strategies and activities, along with health, values and peace education components.
“As provided under the Department Memo, for the month of January, school heads and teachers will also be oriented on ‘Catch-Up Fridays,’” the DepEd said, in response to Quetua’s statement.
“On Jan. 26, which is the midyear break intended for in-service training for teachers, teachers will be trained on strategies to implement [the program],” it added.
Quetua, in his statement, reiterated that the DepEd should also catch up with the current learning crisis in the country, which means that the government should allocate a sufficient budget to the education sector by addressing shortages in classrooms, teachers, teaching and learning materials, and education support personnel.
Direct participation needed
“Additionally, teachers need relief from administrative tasks to focus on teaching,” he said. “Let us always remember that teachers should also have direct participation in crafting programs or learning interventions, and this should not be limited to just issuing a memorandum ordering such.”
The DepEd introduced “Catch-up Fridays” to arrest the alarming decline in reading skills among Filipino youths as reflected in recent international rankings.
Instead of regular classes, students would be immersed in the printed text to sharpen their reading comprehension, strengthen their sense of values, make them more mindful of their physical and mental health, and introduce them to “peace education,” the last tackling the growing problem of bullying.
In addition to reading, the DepEd said that values education would also be a priority during Catch-up Fridays in compliance with Republic Act No. 11476, or Good Manners and Right Conduct and Values Education Act.