CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)–“We make sure that education has to continue at all costs and in different modalities,” said Regional Director Arturo B. Bayocot during Talakayan sa PIA held recently.
The Department of Education (DepEd) announced August 24 as the opening of classes for the next school year. Bayocot said the opening may be face to face or online, depending on the local conditions of the area.
He said August 24 is still months away and they are hopeful that all will be back to normalcy.
However still, the director said the department is braced and ready to all possibilities. Face to face classes could be conducted having basic measures that include social distancing which will reduce class population to 15 persons.
If face to face classes will be a remote possibility due to COVID-19 pandemic threat, the mode of delivery of education will be made online.
He added that for students who lack access to the internet due to affordability of prepaid loads, poor signal, lack of gadgets since it would be hard for DepEd to provide gadgets to estimated 27 million students, and other hindrances, modular learning will be implemented.
This learning will be using printed modules and DepEd is starting to prepare these materials. Moreover, in the manner of educating the children in this mode, the director said that there are certain conditions to be followed and participation of both school, teachers and parents are essential.
“Just like the pandemic, education is everybody’s concern and dili lang ni amo, dili lang ni sa eskwelahan, kundi atu ning tanan (not just of us in DepEd but all of us – school, community and parents),” he said, implying that 27 million human resources is at stake and has to be addressed.
“Education is everyone’s concern and as a matter of fact, it already takes an entire village to educate a child,” he said.
Director Bayocot also answered queries regarding the possibility of staging graduation rites. He explained that again, they are not closing doors and are hopeful that all will be back to normalcy, though some schools were able to conduct graduation ceremonies on time.
He said if conditions will allow, local government will support and the Department of Health will certify to safe to stage graduation, then it will be conducted. (IJBD/PIA10)
