DepEd assured parents and students that it would be a safe reopening of schools this August.
A safe reopening of classes
As parents, it is hard not to feel anxious and concerned about the reopening of schools this August amid the COVID-19 crisis in the country. Without a real vaccine out there to treat for COVID-19, it is of the best interest of everyone to be healthy and safe from contamination.
But according to the Save the Children Philippines group’s CEO, Alberto Muyot, education is a basic right that should still be accessible despite a medical crisis like COVID-19.
Access to education must be continuous, it dictates the future of the country. Rest assured, the DepEd has a safe reopening of schools program prepared for.
The Department of Education(DepEd) Secretary, Leonor Briones, assured parents and teachers that they are doing their best to prepare for the safe reopening of schools by August. Physical classes will only be considered if the Inter-Agency Task Force(IATF) allows it, with teachers and school staff well trained to handle such a scenario.
Alternative learning ideas
The decision to have physical classes still rests on the approval of the IATF recommendation and medical assessments on the area. Schools were physical classes are to be allowed shall only accommodate at most 20 students per classroom.
The average number of students per classroom in public schools is at least 40 students. School administrators might consider separating the class into morning and afternoon shifts in order to accommodate the whole class.
For areas not safe for physical classes, the department is looking for the possibility of online education or printed out modules that students can study at home.
Briones understands the struggle to fully implement online education, especially in rural areas where access to technology is questionable.
As for now, the DepEd is focused on training teachers in the different teaching methods to be used when schools are reopening in August. Teachers should be able to familiarize themselves with the new norm of teaching before classes resume.
The question that lies here is that:
How can traditional teachers be able to keep up with the new norm, “online teaching”?
