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THREAD: A Senate panel continues its discussion on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic to the country’s basic education system | LIVE bit.ly/3sJKIkN

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DepEd Usec. Nepomuceno Malaluan presents the objectives of the proposed pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes

DepEd Usec. Malaluan says they have prepared checklists to assess the readiness of schools in conducting in-person classes in the new normal

DepEd Usec. Malaluan says teaching staff and non-teaching personnel who are aged 60 and above and those with comorbidities are not eligible to participate in the pilot tests of face-to-face classes

DepEd Usec. Malaluan says learners will not be forced to join the pilot face-to-face classes

DepEd Usec. Malaluan says a maximum of 50 private or public schools in every region will be considered for the pilot implementation of in-person lectures

DepEd Usec. Malaluan says only one class per grade level can be conducted in a small school, a maximum of 3 classes in a medium school and maximum of five classes in a large school

DepEd Usec. Malaluan: The class schedules vary but a general rule is classes will be conducted for a maximum of a half day only

DepEd Usec. Malaluan shows their proposed classroom seat arrangement if trials are approved

DepEd Usec. Malaluan says private schools that wish to join the pilot implementation of face-to-face classes must submit a letter of intent to the the department’s regional director

DepEd presents protocols if a pilot study participant exhibits coronavirus-like symptoms

DepEd Usec. Malaluan says the pilot tests of face-to-face classes need LGU concurrence

DepEd. Usec. Malaluan shows the timetables and outcomes for the country’s basic education sector

DepEd Usec. Malaluan says new normal standards in the basic education curriculum are still being deliberated

Senator Nancy Binay recommends that only areas with zero or close to zero coronavirus infections be included in the pilot tests of in-person classes

DepEd Usec. Malaluan notes her suggestion

Senator Win Gatchalian, chair of Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, on selecting participating schools in face-to-face classes: I would recommend going beyond the quarantine levels and using science-based matrices

DepEd Usec. Malaluan says they will update their guidelines to make them more specific

Senator Binay recommends that the DepEd consult the OCTA Research team, which monitors and evaluates COVID-19 trends in the country

DepEd-Calabarzon Regional Director Willie Cabral says 23 schools in Region 4A are interested in being pilot schools for limited in-person classes, but only 4 of them passed the criteria on the readiness for such pilot tests

DepEd-Calabarzon says the 4 schools nominated as pilot schools for limited face-to-face classes are located in remote areas which have no COVID-19 cases

Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) Managing Director Joseph Noel Estrada seeks the reopening schools ahead of the pilot tests of face-to-face classes so students can access resources like libraries, internet, wide spaces

COCOPEA proposes the following guidelines if trials for face-to-face classes are approved:

• Participation remains voluntary
• Minimum of 2-meter distancing rule in areas of convergence
• Minimize transfer of students from one classroom to another

(1/2)

COCOPEA proposes the following guidelines if trials for face-to-face classes are approved:

• cyclical shifts
• frequent disinfection of schools
• frequent handwashing

(2/2)

COCOPEA: Right the now, the DOH- and CHED-approved shifts are 10-4 and 17-4, which means that for 10 days or 17 straight days, students will have to attend classes online and four straight days in school

Sen. Cayetano on hesitancy to resume in-person classes: It has been a year since these kids have been in school. When we talk of school opening for next year — edi gawing trial period ang summer

Sen. Cayetano: A lot of kids have kind of been on an extended summer break. Maybe not in private schools (who have online classes). Iyong mga naka-modular, extended summer vacation

Janelle Rabe, League of Cities of the Philippines Secretariat Policy Unit head: We have 146 cities, 38 of which are highly urbanized and independent cities

Rabe: But the rest of them are component cities, some of which have zero to few cases and some expressed their openness (to resume face-to-face classes) but we would need to validate it

Dr. Maria Carmela Kasala of the PH Pedriatic Society notes the emotional, mental effects of having no in-person classes for an extended period of time on children. She adds: While we recognize these deleterious effects, we are also wary of the effects of the COVID-19 transmission

Dr. Kasala says that should in-person classes resume, the highest public health standards should be followed

Mindfulness, Love and Compassion Institute for Psychosocial Services, Inc, Founder Ma. Lourdes Carandang: I think we need to have a basic framework that covers the total aspect of a child

Carandang: We have been focused on intellectual development. We have almost neglected the socio-emotional, physical and moral aspects

MLAC's Carandang adds: Whatever we do, we need to base it on this basic framework so we do not continue to produce lopsided development in people. For example, we have leaders who are intellectually brilliant but immoral or emotionally retarded

MLAC on impact of long-term online learning: One is it has become very stressful and sometimes depressing to students, teachers, parents who are also teachers in their homes

MLAC on why we need face-to-face classes: Children need to connect, play with, do things with peers. That is essential for their development especially socio-emotional

DepEd Usec. Diosdado San Antonio enumerates the challenges of distance learning

DepEd Usec. Diosdado San Antonio says most learners in various regions obtained high grades during the first quarter of this school year

DepEd Usec. San Antonio: The number of those with failing grades during the same quarter is also significant - more than 100,000

DepEd Usec. San Antonio: Locally developed self-learning modules (SLMs) tended to have more errors that is why we are intensifying our efforts to quality assure our SLMs. We have engaged PNU to review the SLMs

Sen. Gatchalian says he is surprised that almost passed during the first quarter

Usec. San Antonio: If we based on the interpretation of the data given by the teachers, the learners seem to be learning

Gatchalian to San Antonio: You don’t sound convinced yourself (1/2)

Usec. San Antonio disagrees: The only way we could measure the learners have learned is thru the grades

San Antonio earlier presented a slide showing that 99% of learners in DepEd schools in all regions except in Ilocos and Bangsamoro, on which there's no data, passed (2/2)

DepEd Usec. San Antonio says the high passing rate may be due to the implementation of measures to foster academic ease, such as allowing learners to do make-up activities

DepEd Usec. San Antonio says the grades were based on only performance tasks and written outputs. Periodic tests were removed

Teachers’ Dignity Coalition National Chair Benjo Basas: Sana po bigyan ng DepEd ng espasyo sa discussions nila ang mga teachers

Usec. San Antonio on reports that parents are answering their children’s learning materials: Bago po magsimula ang pasukang 2020-2021, kasama iyan sa mga apprehensions. We were very clear that this school year, since home-based siya, is the best time to teach honesty to children

Usec. San Antonio on reports that parents are answering their children’s learning materials: This is something beyond the control of the DepEd. If the parents want to develop cheats, hindi na po natin iyon masolusyunan