DepEd floats ‘academic ease’ measures

The Department of Education (DepEd) has suggested measures to promote ‘academic ease’ in a bid to help teachers and students adjust with the changes brought by the shift to distance learning.

The DepEd has issued a memorandum highlighting measures to ensure “‘flexibility in teaching and learning,” Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said.

“The measures suggested are expected to enable the learners and learning facilitators to navigate through the challenges of the new normal in the teaching and learning process and make necessary adjustment throughout the school year,” San Antonio said.

Among the measures recommended by DepEd are flexibility in time allotment for the completion of self-learning modules, additional mental health support for teachers, students, and parents through group wellness sessions.

DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones meanwhile emphasized that “The welfare of our teachers and learners remains to be our priority and we will ensure that School Year 2020-2021 will be bearable for all while still promoting effective learning engagement.”

The move comes after DepEd drew flak for supposedly downplaying reports of suicides linked to problems in connection with distance learning. The DepEd has said that reports it has received showed that the suicide cases were not related to the education system.

This week, the DepEd also announced that it hired some 3,000 learning support aides to help students who don’t have parents or guardians to guide them in their studies at home.

“The need to adjust the assigned tasks for the learners is anchored on the fact that learners have long been disengaged from academic learning since the onset of the pandemic last March 2020,” San Antonio said.