Opening of classes in flooded areas to push through via alternative modes

The opening of classes in areas still submerged in flood water will push through on August 29 but through alternative delivery modes, Education Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas said.

“Mayroon din tayong mga schools somewhere in Region III, Bulacan, Pampanga and northern parts of Metro Manila, na lubog pa rin sa baha hanggang ngayon…at kahit mayroon tayong pagbaha sa mga lugar na ‘yan, tuloy pa rin ang kanilang opening,” Bringas said in the Mangahas Interviews.

“‘Yun nga lang hindi siya face-to-face, kundi mag-a-adapt ‘yung school ng alternative delivery modes para masabayan pa rin ‘yung pagbubukas ng August 29,” he added.

In the coming school year, Bringas said the “default” modality of classes is face-to-face, but principals and school heads are allowed to shift to other modes of learning in the event of calamities or dangerous circumstances.

“First and foremost, kung may mga calamities na ganyan, ang ating priority is the safety of our learners and our employees. Hindi natin pipilitin sila na kahit naka-alternative delivery mode ay mag-gawa pa rin ng mga ganyan kahit na nanganganib na ang kanilang buhay, ‘di ba? So unahin pa rin ‘yung pagiging safe patungo sa pag-conduct ng alternative delivery modes,” he said.

Relative to the alternative delivery modes, the DepEd official said the procurement of gadgets for teachers and learners continues but the one gadget per learner ratio might not be achievable in the near future.

“Continuously naman nagkakaroon pa rin tayo ng mga procurement natin for laptop for teachers, as well as IT devices for learners na pangkalahatan. Pero hindi pa natin ma-reach in the short term ang 1:1 na gadget for learners as well as for teachers,” he said.

“Kailangan nating tingnan kung nasaan ‘yung pinakamalaking gap na regions or divisions at ‘yun ang pinupunuan natin sa mga available na funds natin. Pero definitely in the short term or medium term, we still cannot go for 1:1,” he added.

To cope with the situation, Bringas said the DepEd are also producing printed versions of learning materials for students.

“Aside from the online and ‘yung ating mga offline na versions of these gadgets ang materials, mayroon din tayong printed versions ng ating mga materials that are also available for our learners,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bringas said the Education Department is prioritizing the replacement of around 440 classrooms that are totally damaged.

These are the classrooms that were destroyed during the onslaught of recent typhoons like “Egay,” he said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News