Students, parents advised on safety, K+12 concerns

Both parents and their children were asked to cooperate with schools and law enforcement agencies to ensure zero incidence of crimes, accidents and inconvenience in today’s school opening.

Dr. Carmelita Dulangon, regional director of the Department of Education in Central Visayas (DepEd-7), said parents take the lead in reminding their children to follow traffic rules and watching out for criminal elements.

She said school officials and their teachers were also reminded to adjust to the demands of the K+12 curriculum by preparing their lesson plans and procuring books listed under the Mother Tongue-Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTB-MLE).

“Students should learn to recycle their notebooks and put artworks to be attractive and to save money,” Dulangon said.

She said public school teachers underwent trainings to orient themselves on K+12.

“If the classroom setting before was teacher and student lecture, now we will focus on collaborative and cooperative style of learning,” Dulangon said.

Under the new system students are encouraged to share their sentiments and understanding on topics using the Visayan language even if English remains the principal means of instruction.

Dr. Luz Jandayan, DepEd’s curriculum and learning management division chief, said the parents shouldn’t worry about the MBT-MLE program because it bridges the learning process for children not fluent in English.

The MTB-MLE will be taught in Grades 1, 2 and 3 is part of the K-12 curriculum.

The Cebuano dialect will be taught in Grade 1. Jandayan said the program will help students develop “21st century skills” and prepare them for higher education.

Jandayan said Central Visayas needs 5,653 public school teachers from kindergarten to high school in addition to the 44,234 public school teachers  employed by the national government.

These teachers will handle 1.8 million students in the region.

In Cebu City, police reminded parents and school children anew to watch out against robbers and pickpockets.

Senior Supt. Mariano Natuel, Jr., Cebu City police chief, said they will monitor  both Abellana National High School and Abellana City Central School which is expected to draw the biggest number of schoolchildren today.

“Sa mga schools, atong giawhag ang publiko nga magbantay sa dad-on nga kwarta ug sa ilang mga gamit (At the schools we ask the public to watch out for their money and valuables,” Natuel said.

Four policemen are deployed in each elementary school in Cebu City as early as 6 a.m. starting yesterday.

A police assistance desk is also set up in every school. /Michelle Joy L. Padayhag and Christine Emily L. Pantaleon, Correspondents with Correspondent Joy Cherry Quito