DepEd assures no face-to-face classes until vaccine is available

The Department of Education (DepEd) released the DepEd Official Statement on Monday, June 8, 2020 it states that the Department will comply with the President’s directive to postpone face-to-face classes until a vaccine is available. Read the whole statement below.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

June 8, 2020 – 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.

We will comply with the President’s directive to postpone face-to-face classes until a vaccine is available.

We assure our parents, learners, stakeholders, and the President that we are preparing ourselves for this mission.

Indeed, it is a challenging task for us at the Department of Education to prepare our schools in a different set-up but we are committed to our duty to make education available and thriving, even in the most difficult time.

The Department is fully engaged in readying our operations based on our Basic Education-Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP), from the Central Office down to the school level. We are updating our policies, realigning our finances, and collaborating with our partners so that our goals of providing quality education and protecting the safety and health of our constituents will be achieved.

Currently, we are continuing to conduct remote enrollment nationwide in order to assess learners’ household information, which will be crucial in the preparation and the contextualization of the learning delivery mode in each locality.

Meanwhile, the groundwork for blended learning is well underway. Radio, television, online and modular learning – which are pre-existing methods and were already used for decades – are being prepared and updated for this year. At the same time, teachers are being trained on utilizing newer platforms and innovative tools to aid their professional development.

We are working with the private sector and education experts to make these necessary steps logistically sound, especially on the development, acquisition, and deployment of learning resources.

We will provide regular readiness assessment reports to the public as we have committed to Congress.

With a comprehensive BE-LCP and the President’s instruction serving as our guide, we will continue our preparations. Finally, with our stakeholders coming together, we can leap towards achieving our ultimate goal – of making education a symbol of hope amidst doubts and uncertainties.

LEONOR MAGTOLIS BRIONES
Secretary