DepEd: Reintroducing face-to-face classes involves shared responsibility

The possible reintroduction of face-to-face classes in the Philippines would require a shared responsibility among various stakeholders, an official from the Department of Education (DepEd) said Friday.

"If we reintroduce it, we believe that there should be a strong agreement of shared responsibility of key stakeholders including the parents, and the local government units... because without this, the DepEd will surely be blamed solely for any incidents of exposure and infection," Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said in a Senate hearing. "There should be mechanisms to clarify the assignments of responsibilities."

"This concern, your honor, is not just political on our part because it can really put at risk learning continuity altogether. In other words, it will strengthen the position and arguments of those that are advocating for academic freeze," he added.

Malaluan said the supervision of time devoted for learning, the formative assessment by teachers, and social interaction are among the advantages of having face-to-face classes compared to home-based learning.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones earlier said the DepEd is studying the possibility of a gradual return to face-to-face classes in 2021.

The updated recommendation of the DepEd chief to President Rodrigo Duterte is still being finalized, according to Malaluan.

Senate committee on basic education chairperson Sherwin Gatchalian said he is for localized and limited face-to-face learning workshops to ease the burden of the parents who are not equipped to teach their children at home.

He pointed out that massage parlors have already been opened, indicating that the situation is getting better in some areas. Senators Imee Marcos and Nancy Binay also stressed that cockpit arenas and tourism sites had also been reopened too.

Based on data from DepEd, there were over 25 million K-12 program students who enrolled in public and private schools nationwide. This is equivalent to 90.2% of the enrolled population last school year.

The school year opened last October 5, sans face-to-face classes due to the threat of COVID-19 transmission. Blended forms of learning are being implemented through self-learning modules, internet, as well as TV- and radio-based instructions. — RSJ, GMA News