DepEd to expand TV learning to support classes in disaster situations

The Department of Education (DepEd) is preparing to expand the use of DepEd TV as a learning continuity measure for students displaced by natural disasters.

In a statement released Thursday, DepEd said it is working with the Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. and Solar Learning to integrate curriculum-aligned lessons into broadcast-based instruction. 

The initiative aims to allow learners to continue their studies in evacuation centers and disaster-affected communities where access to schools, electricity, or the internet may be disrupted.

DepEd said DepEd TV will be accessible through multiple platforms, including Digital Free TV, cable television, and Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite services. Digital Free TV broadcasts are available in several areas nationwide, including Metro Manila, parts of Central Luzon and CALABARZON, the Bicol Region, and major cities in the Visayas and Mindanao, airing on BEAM Channel 31 and SBN Channel 21.

The channel is also available via SkyCable in Metro Manila and selected provinces, PCTA member cable operators nationwide, and through Cignal and Satellite TV under the DTH platform.

At present, the Knowledge Channel airs up to 16 hours of daily programming featuring pre-recorded instructional videos aligned with the K–12 curriculum. Subjects include Filipino, Mathematics, English, Araling Panlipunan, and Science. DepEd said these materials have been submitted to its Learning Systems Strand as part of preparations for the full relaunch of DepEd TV.

The department added that it will initially air a “bug version” of DepEd TV and conduct a comprehensive review of the programming schedule to ensure alignment with teachers’ daily learning logs and relevance during class suspensions and no-class days. —VBL, GMA Integrated News