DepEd taps tutors to aid students in Cordillera

BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines — An army of tutors composed of university students taking education courses will be tapped to assist Cordillera pupils who have been struggling with lessons that could only be delivered online or through activity workbooks, officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Tuesday.

Educators have been concerned about Kindergarten to Grade 12 pupils who have failed to adjust to distance learning without a teacher to guide them, prompting a collaboration between DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) to share manpower and resources in the region.

Teacher’s help

All schools were shuttered the moment the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March last year.

But as vaccination drives are accelerated and infections drop nationwide, the government finally allowed a small number of grade schools and high schools to conduct limited in-person classes toward the end of the year in preparation for students’ return to their classrooms.

But the three education agencies are focusing on struggling pupils, asserting that “no Cordillera student would be left behind,” said Felina Espique, dean of the School of Teacher Education at Saint Louis University (SLU), at a press briefing.

“Many children have a lot of struggles right now. They can’t grasp concepts that are difficult to impart without a teacher,” Espique said.

“They have access to devices [like computers] which would help them access other sources of information to explain different subjects. But nothing beats the help of an actual teacher clarifying these concepts for their students,” she added.

Fully vaxxed

SLU intends to deploy student interns or “practice teachers” to visit houses in their neighborhoods and offer to provide additional lessons for grade school students, she said. Other teaching education facilities are also being tapped as part of the multiagency outreach program.

All these student teachers would be fully vaccinated and would maintain strict health protocols when serving their communities, Espique said.

To date, 82 percent of Cordillera teachers and nonteaching staff have been inoculated, leaving 273 unvaccinated public school employees.