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Gatchalian bats for microloans for parents who need to buy gadgets for studying children
By DONA MAGSINO,GMA News A loan program for parents needing assistance to buy gadgets for their children's online learning amid the pandemic should be made available, according to Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday.
"Microloans kasi dapat mag-umpisa na tayong mag-invest sa technology ngayon. Kung mayroon available microloans sa ating mga magulang para bumili ng mga computer, bumili ng laptop, bumili ng tablet, ibigay natin sa kanila," Gatchalian, chair of the Senate panel on basic education, said in a virtual Kapihan sa Manila Bay.
"Under the new normal dapat pag-isipan na nating pwedeng mangyari itong pandemya ulit eh. Pwedeng magkaroon ng disruption sa pagtuturo so it's really good to invest now in technology—internet access sa schools, rural areas, and also mga gadget na pwedeng gamitin ng ating mga magulang at estudyante para matuto," he added.
A photo of a vegetable vendor who bought her grandchild a cellphone from her meager earnings recently went viral as many Filipino students inch toward the opening of classes which will not rely on face-to-face interactions.
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In a study he made as a lawmaker during the 16th Congress, Gatchalian said it would cost the government about P40 billion to provide tablets to all basic education learners nationwide instead of books.
While acknowledging that it would be impossible to provide these gadgets to over 22 million students in public schools this school year, he said maybe the proposal could be revisited soon.
The Department of Education said School Year 2020-2021 will start on August 24 using "blended forms" of learning to ensure the welfare of over 27 million basic education students and 1.2 million teaching and non-teaching personnel at public and private schools in the country.
President Rodrigo Duterte vowed to "scrape the bottom of the barrel" to fund the alternative forms of learning being proposed by the DepEd.—AOL, GMA News