The Department of Education (DepEd) is rushing the formulation of guidelines on the operation of homeschools amid the anticipated influx of learners on school opening.
The guidelines, the DepEd said are also meant to scuttle the possible proliferation of “fly by night” homeschools.
Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said education officials are deliberating on the governing rules that would apply to homeschools, even as she admitted that they may still have resolve some “complicated” issues on the matter.
“So, in the process na of finalizing the guidelines ang ating curriculum group dahil sila ang mag-aaprove kung pwede ba ang isang homeschool [to operate] or not?” she said.
Briones said that they need to come up with the guidelines on homeschooling since some parents may choose to avail of such program “as an alternative to lack of connectivity and as an alternative to the dangers of Covid.”
“That’s why we really need to address this. Ano ba talaga ang ibig nating sabihin ng homeschooling? At ano bang gusto nating ituturo sa homeschooling? Pwede bang kung ang mother homeschool ay nandito sa Pilipinas, mag-operate ng homeschool sa ibang bansa. [What is really the meaning of homeschooling? What do they want to teach? Will it be possible that the mother homeschool is here in the Philippines operating but will also operate homeschool in other country]?” Briones asked.
She added: “At saka yung paano natin ma-assess ang competence ng mga nagtuturo sa homeschool. Kasi at the end of the day, ang mga bata na nag-aral sa homeschool ay mag take parin sila ng mga National Assessment Tests [And how can we assess the competence of those teaching in homeschool? At the end of the day, the children enrolled in homeschool will still take the National Assessment Test]. Like those who finished high school and would like to go on to university, then they will have to pass the admission requirements of the university or those who want to go on to high school, etc.”
For his part, Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said that in their new concept, they are proposing that the homeschool parent or child should enroll in an authorized homeschool of private schools so that the assessment will be done in the school itself and there is no need to go to the Bureau of Education Assessment.
San Antonio said that the guidelines discussed with the Executive Committee and Management Committee of DepEd “is almost done.”
He cited that among the things that was agreed upon was that “Filipinos should enroll in homeschools based in the country that would only cater to Filipinos living in the country.”
“Secondly, while we acknowledge na naiba na nga ang ayos ng homeschooling kasi nagkaroon ng mga homeschool providers na ang purpose lang naman talaga nila ay magprovide ng support sa magulang. So, pinapayagan din natin ang mga magulang na gumawa ng ganitong desisyon. [The structure of homeschooling is already different for there are homeschool providers whose only purpose is to provide support to the parents. So, we allow the parents to decide on this],” San Antonio said, stressing the need to revise the 1997 guidelines and 2019 memorandum on homeschooling.