ILOILO City – The Department of Education (DepEd) in Western Visayas is optimistic of a smooth resumption of classes this Oct. 5 despite the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and an economic downturn.
But Director Ma. Gemma Ledesma of DepEd Region 6 considered mobility a challenge. She was referring to the distribution of learning modules.
Schools started delivering the learning materials last month.
“Our main concern is the rising cases of COVID-19. Foremost of all, we prioritize the protection of all school children and school personnel,” said Ledesma.
For the safety of everyone, especially of those going to school, minimum public health protocols are in place, she said.
“We set up pedal-powered hand-washing facilities. Once you get inside the school you have to wash your hands,” Ledesma stressed.
In Region 6, current enrollment from kindergarten to senior high school (SHS) in public schools is now at 97.31 percent or 1,750,921 of last school year’s enrollment, while non-graded enrollment or those under special education is at 90.26 percent or 4,705.
Meanwhile, 3,135 or 62.05 percent enrollment was recorded in local universities and colleges and state universities and colleges, and 64.26 percent equivalent to 151,850 learners in private schools.
Enrolled learners for all sectors were at 93.38 percent while for Alternative Learning System, it recorded 51.13 percent of last school year’s enrollment.
Ledesma said those who haven’t enrolled yet can still enlist as long as they meet the 80-percent attendance requirement.
Meanwhile, more than half of the total enrollees in Western Visayas opted for modular type of learning this school year, according to Leo Dedoroy, DepEd-6 division chief of Planning and Research.
Citing the Learners Information Survey form, Dedoroy said 1,075,391 learners or 64 percent of those enrolled in public schools and 45,287 or 29.85 percent of learners from private schools have chosen modules as their preferred mode of learning.
According to Ledesma, DepEd is also encouraging the use of other modalities.
However, because there are some areas that have no television and no radio station can be tapped, the best option is modular learning.
“It is really the modality of choice of our students. Only a small percentage of learners opt for online because of the availability of gadgets, of course, and the Wi-Fi signal,” she said.
Given the bulk of modules that should be printed, Ledesma said one possible option would be to provide soft copies that learners can print out.
However, she said as much as possible, they want to spend the allocation for the miscellaneous and other operating expenses (MOOE) of the school and other funds available in printing the materials so as to unburden the students’ parents.
Aside from MOOE, she said as part of their learning continuity plan, funds have been downloaded from their central office to division offices since July.
Schools can also source out money from their local government unit through the special education fund and through the Brigada Eskwela where partnerships with schools are encouraged./PN
