SHE learned how to read and write through banana leaves, which have lines, and sharpened bamboo sticks as pencils at the age of 3, during the war years.
Surviving the war period, as well as the martial-law years, perhaps prepared, in large part, Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones for the unique but daunting role that 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic year, would present her. A challenge, as it were, to fast-track, by force of circumstance, the march to the future of the Philippine education system that has been criticized for its ancient methods and infrastructure.
With the deadly virus clamping schools under strict physical distancing rules, the school system now has to quickly transform itself into a flexible, creative, nimble system that allows children to continue their education from homes. The problem is: the Philippines, despite being tagged social-media capital of the world, remains in the digital dark ages, with a divide as yawning as the income inequalities haunting the nation of 100 million plus.
As fate would have it, it fell into the lap of Briones, all of 79 years, to lead the “revolution.” Despite criticism from all sides—those who think the Department of Education should have simply forfeited the school year, those who say it should push back school opening to January, and those who find so many things wrong in the “blended learning” that DepEd is championing—the strong-willed and visionary secretary made a stand. Children, she said, cannot be deprived of their basic right to education, not even by a deadly virus. With the help of both young and veteran staff at DepEd, she declared August 24 as school opening day, asserting that the government’s attempt to establish alternative modalities of education come August 24, 2020, the opening of School Year (SY) 2020-2021, “can be done” as Covid-19 is changing the educational landscape.
In a nationally televised briefing at Malacañang nearly a fortnight ago, she impressed President Duterte with her clear presentation of how this can be done.
The war years
She recalled, in a speech just before the pandemic broke, that her mother, a teacher, had to think of ways of distracting the children around the mountain areas from where they were from the sound of aerial dogfights; and on the ground, from the stories of arrests, women eviscerated, children bayoneted.
“We had to be distracted and in the mean time, we learned how to read and to write. I am the child of teachers, we have never been rich. And as a teacher now, I am not rich. So when I went to school, I was immediately accelerated after the war because the district supervisor was surprised that a four-year-old could already read and write from banana leaves,” Briones said in one of her speeches prior to the health crisis.
“This time, you have all the gadgets. You have computers, papers, pencils, televisions, etc., and if all learners still don’t know how to read and write, if all learners still do not know values of citizenship, then perhaps we have to go back to banana leaves,” she stressed.
Briones certainly did not expect, during her stint, that another “war” will happen, although the enemy is unseen, as it brought disruption to the education system. But she is obviously up to the challenge.
“So, we are not saying that the department will be 100 percent ready by August 24, but we have to have a start, we have to have a goal…. We have a clear goal and we can adjust that goal if things do not go the way we anticipate them to be, so there,” Briones said in a mix of English and Filipino in an interview.
She reiterated that despite the threat of Covid-19, education should continue, for “children cannot wait; education cannot wait.”
Blended/Online learning
When she sought the approval of President Duterte recently, Briones gave firm assurances that the DepEd is one with the President in his non-negotiable commitment for the health and safety of the learners, teachers and staff.
“It is the first and most important principle of our Basic Education-Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP), which details learning opportunities in the time of Covid-19. We can still provide learning opportunities to our students, without requiring them to come to school, through blended and distance learning,” Briones added.
The blended/distance learning approach is consistent with the President’s preference that no children should go to school physically until it is safe to do so, or a vaccine is found.
In DepEd’s blueprint, lessons will be delivered to students in the comfort and safety of their homes, through the following methods:
1. Printed or digital modules delivered to the homes of the students, or picked up by their parents at designated places, within coordinated schedules;
2. Online learning resources such as the DepEd Commons; and,
3. Television- or radio-based instruction.
“Even in this time of crisis, DepEd can still fulfill its constitutional duty of delivering quality basic education, and this can be done in a manner consistent with the President’s directive,” Briones explained.
On June 8 Briones said they will comply with Duterte’s directive to postpone face-to-face classes until a vaccine is available. She had been hoping that exceptions can be made for provinces that have consistently shown zero Covid cases, but that option must be approved by higher authorities.
“We thank the President for reiterating the national government’s willingness to assist us in our endeavor to offer alternatives to face-to-face learning despite the public health situation,” Briones said in a statement as she assured parents, learners, stakeholders, and Duterte that, “We are preparing ourselves for this mission.”
Radio as medium
While admitting the big challenge of preparing the schools in a different setup, Briones said they are committed to making education available, whatever it takes.
The DepEd is now readying its operations based on its Basic Education-Learning Continuity Plan, from the Central Office down to the school level.
Meanwhile, Briones underscored the help extended by the local government units (LGUs), the private sector, and civil society organizations.
“I am not sure if it is related to my age, but really I have this affection for radio. We surveyed schools and found out that many of them have their own radio stations, although limited in reach. Many of our municipalities have their own radio stations; there are provinces, with their own radio and TV stations,” Briones said.
“So everybody is helping out and it looks like everybody is excited, because they want to see if it really works,” she added.
She cited the example of World Vision.
“Right now, World Vision helps us in our shift to quality education, the Edukalidad program, because they give advice about technology, and not only about technology but also health and on other matters,” she said.
World Vision Philippines, through its chairman, former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, pledged its solidarity to the DepEd’s Brigada Eskwela (BE) and Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE).
During the national BE and OBE campaigns kick-off on June 1, 2020, Puno said: “Our decades of collaboration between World Vision and the Department of Education have seen millions of students achieve improved functional literacy through equitable access to age-appropriate, culture-sensitive and contextualized learning process.”
Puno invited both individuals and organizations to support children’s education, noting that challenging times call for a revitalized alliance of stakeholders as the state recognizes the complementary roles of public and private institutions in the educational system.
“Helping ensure the unimpeded delivery of quality education to every student means upholding the Constitution’s provision on protecting and promoting the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and on taking appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all,” he added.
Globe Telecom
Globe Telecom also pitched in, allowing learners and teachers to access the online learning platform DepEd Commons without incurring data charges on their Globe or TM-powered smartphones.
DepEd Commons contains online review materials and Open Educational Resources (OER) authored by public-school teachers who are subject matter experts. Teachers can retain, reuse, revise, remix and redistribute the content by blending it with a learning management system to deliver a distance learning modality.
Based on the latest data, DepEd Commons has 7,925,238 users accessing online learning materials as of June 8.
Access to gadgets
In a separate survey on the enrollment date, a total of 788,066 teachers were asked if they have available computer or laptop or desktop at home.
Eighty-seven percent or a total of 687,911 teachers said they have a computer or laptop or desktop at home.
“And these are their personal belongings, but we would like them to use, of course, DepEd gadgets and this is what we are targeting…. Even in far-off regions people have cellphones because they keep in touch with relatives abroad and also with relatives of friends in other parts of the country,” she said.
The survey to find out who among the students have gadgets or laptops is still ongoing.
Sought for reaction to those who expressed reservations on DepEd’s distance learning, particularly Vice President Leni Robredo, Briones disagreed.
“I would like to dispute that; we are still in the month of June and our original proposal was to open on August 24. We have been doing distance learning, blended learning for decades and decades. We have a university, in the University of the Philippines, which does and which specializes in distance education for the longest time. And those who take up education and study education are already exposed to this,” she said.
“We are not inventing anything new, that’s why [readiness is very important]. And we did also a survey on the readiness of our teachers and the readiness of our pupils. It’s very high, we assume always that the teachers don’t have laptops, they don’t have desktops. Well, 87 percent of them have in their homes; but we will also provide them,” she said. She said they are appealing to the private sector to donate gadgets instead of the usual school bags, pad paper, ballpens during the annual Brigada Eskwela event.
Private schools
An example of a private school practicing online distance learning is De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (DLSZ).
Beginning July 6, 2020, DLSZ will offer online distance learning for Academic Year 2020-2021.
Online distance classes in both synchronous and asynchronous modes will start on July 6 for Grade 5 to Grade 12 students and July 13 for Pre-Kinder to Grade 4 students.
Grade-school students will use SeeSaw as the learning management system, while high-school students will use Google Classroom. The BRafeNHS students will use Google Classroom, Edmodo, and Schoology and will be provided with handouts.
DLSZ has seven years of experience in the Next Generation Blended Learning (NxGBL), touting world-class certifications in the use of technology for education with its recognition as an Apple Distinguished School and as a Microsoft Showcase School since 2016 and 2018, respectively.
To enroll or not
Briones said the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) had earlier speculated that enrollment in public schools might rise as students migrate from costlier private schools.
“Now, but on the other hand, others are also saying that there might be a drop in enrollment because the parents are worried about the safety, the health issues, so they would rather have their children stay at home for the next how many months…. And we don’t know if this will balance each other out. Migration from private schools to public schools and the children being held at home or the parents deciding that the children will not go to school anymore at this time because of the health issues. So those are the two ways of looking at the possible drop in enrollment,” Briones pointed out.
The DepEd projects that “perhaps there might be… [in the] initial enrollment projections, a small reduction in enrollment. But we will see how it turns out by the end of June.”
On June 10, national enrollment data for SY 2020-2021 showed that 8,666,493 learners nationwide have registered using remote or virtual enrollment system for both public and private schools across all basic education levels.
Of this number, 8,369,894 learners enrolled in public schools and 255,124 in private schools.
Briones is happy with the initial number of enrollees as of early June. The DepEd expects roughly 27 million learners to enroll this school year.
Virtual enrollment
The virtual enrollment, conducted only through phone or online platforms, was implemented as physical activities were still prohibited inside school premises to ensure the safety of learners, parents and teachers.
Lyra Macada, a mother of an incoming Grade 5 learner, found the enrollment process convenient and safe.
For her part, teacher Maria Victoria Guanzon of Sagay City, Negros Occidental, hopes parents and learners will continue to cooperate with the DepEd.
“We appeal for the cooperation of parents during this time of pandemic,” Guanzon said.
The DepEd said all learners who cannot enroll using any remote method will be allowed in the last two weeks of June to physically enroll, in strict compliance with physical distancing and health standards, and in coordination with local government units.
Some school administrators expressed support for the ongoing virtual enrollment, which connected teachers and parents more.
“This experience is all new to us, and we’re all adjusting. We are grateful for our teachers’ willingness to adapt to this new normal. I can say that it is one of the reasons that influenced our learners and parents to enroll], said Dr. Maria Cristina S. Marasigan, principal of Tagumpay National High School, of Rodriguez, Rizal, as she stressed that education must continue.
Everybody is adjusting
Some of the teachers admitted being worried, being used to face-to-face learning. But Briones said the feeling is mutual.
“I’m in the same state as they are and probably I’m worse than they are because I’m not really a techie person. When I went to college we were taught how to type and not necessarily worked with computers,” she said.
To better prepare the teachers, Briones said that on June 1 up to August 24, 2020, they will undergo upskilling.
“Here in DepEd there are so many free programs that you can learn from. Teachers can learn, DepEd officials can learn, they will learn some more and they will master whatever the skills are needed for this kind of situation that we are in now. They are not alone; a good number of our teachers have the same problem, I have that problem myself so most likely we’ll be learning together,” she said, her trademark optimism shining through.
Gabay Guro
Meanwhile, Gabay Guro, PLDT’s flagship educational program, is providing free online trainings for teachers nationwide through its recently launched Learning Never Stops campaign.
As of May 30, 2020, Gabay Guro has led 13 e-learning sessions on Facebook with over 300,000 views to date. The online training videos uploaded on the Gabay Guro Facebook page are all for free. These videos are available for replay, allowing teachers to learn at their own pace.
“Learning is constantly evolving. This is why our Learning Never Stops campaign aims to empower our teachers amid the pandemic as we provide them with engaging online training videos conducted by reputable guest speakers. Through this campaign, we are equipping our teachers with digital competencies and capabilities that enable them to adapt in this new normal,” said PLDT SVP and Gabay Guro chairman Chaye Cabal-Revilla.
For his part, PLDT and Smart Vice President for Learning and Development and Gabay Guro Head for Teachers’ Training Alexander Kibanoff said that in these trying times, they we want to assure teachers that every opportunity will be given to them amid Covid-19.
“Our recently launched Learning Never Stops campaign enables them to explore online trainings and curriculum that aim to expand their knowledge and expertise,” he said.
Topics of the live training and recorded webcasts include life learnings from the quarantine, virtual teaching 101, flipping the classroom, improving students’ reading and comprehension, as well as teachers’ mindset improvement in the midst of the pandemic.
Now, Briones said there is a different way of looking at schooling and “the public is still adjusting” to new notions.
“At my age, I recognize—I’m sure at your young age you learners [also acknowledge]—this is a great time to be in as well. It’s scary, full of anxiety, but it is also a great time to be part of a move toward what they now describe is new normal. Everybody is talking new normal, new normal. You are not normal if you did not grab the word new normal in your conversation every five minutes. But ah, that’s how it is shaping up,” she remarked.
To make it easy for all to understand blended learning, Briones compared it to a “blender”.
“With all the best flavors, the choicest materials, the choicest and the best ingredients are all put together to come out with what appears to be different, but actually has already been in use for a very long time.”
The only difference is this time, she stressed, the larger emphasis is on these technologies because “we can’t allow face-to-face, or what we always joke at the Department of Education, it is not allowed, the ‘fes-to-fes.’”
So, she concluded, “let’s try blended first. And when you use blended approach which looks good, looks effective, then the children might enjoy it.”
Image credits: AP/Aaon Favila, DepEd, Nonoy Lacza
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