Thread by @kaithreencruz

WATCH: @TheManilaTimes education forum "After modules and modems: Education revolution" with DepEd Spox Michael Poa, PEAC Exec. Dir. Doris Ferrer, and Cocopea Managing Dir. Erap Estrada.

#themanilatimes #businessforum #education #deped #peac #cocopea

DepEd Spox Poa: We welcomed more than 29M learners on Aug. 22 for the new school year. We are still in the transition period until we do full in-person classes by Nov. 2022.
@TheManilaTimes
#themanilatimes #businessforum #education #deped #peac #cocopea

Poa: We are geared toward learning recovery. We'll be working based on the Basic Education Development Plan 2030 with the pillars of access, equity, quality, and learners' wellbeing and resilience.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa: We plan to reskill and upskill teachers, fulfill available posts, and hire more teachers next year. We want teachers to focus on teaching.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa: We are reviewing the K-12 curriculum. We will present at the United Nations Transforming Education Summit 2022 our country's statement on what we want to achieve in the education sector.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa: We will overcome these challenges in education — we will have no excuses and we will not break. It takes a village to raise a child, so let's be that village.

@TheManilaTimes

PEAC Exec. Dir. Ferrer: 3,500 schools are participating in the education service contracting (ESC). However, it is apparent that there was no support for the K-6 in the ESC.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer: For SHS voucher program, more than 4,000 schools are participating. For the teacher salary subsidy (TSS), it is problematic, aside sa maliit, wala rin ito sa SHS.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer: We cannot always blame Covid-19 for all the problems we have such as the results of international assessments and the performance of examinees in the LET.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer: Covid-19 aggravated the education situation in the PH resulting in learning poverty. If students are not in school, it is assumed that they are not learning.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer: Kailangan natin magtulong-tulong para sa edukasyon — we could use the RAPID method based on the recommendation of World Bank.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer: Due to the difference in salary, private school teachers are migrating to public schools, and that's problematic.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer: We have to make sure that K-12 graduates are employable with the necessary skills, but they could still move forward to college if they want to pursue their education.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer: We have seen a decrease in enrollment for private schools, and there was no support for private schools for K to 6. This needs to be addressed.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer: For National Teachers' Month, we have webinars and a launch of scholarship programs for teachers.

We are also pushing for quality assuring SHS — we think that continuous school improvement should be top of mind of schools.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer on ESC: Subsidy lang ang ESC, not the full tuition. Students still have to top up. We used to have a proposal na taasan ang ESC to help decongest public schools and allow students to enroll in private schools.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer: Hindi kami (private schools) masyadong natutulungan, aside from GASTPE. Kulang talaga ang suporta sa private schools to make it sustainable. Our role is to complement the public schools as they are burdened.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer: If we have more budget for subsidies, then we can take more students from private schools. DepEd should want ESC, TSS, and SHS VP to succeed since these are their programs too.

@TheManilaTimes

Ferrer on the use of tech: It is neither good nor bad, it's on how the students use it — tama 'yong character, so they would know how to use it ethically and responsibly for the common good in this 21st-century world.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa to Ferrer: Yes, public schools need private schools, especially on facilities. We're looking at ways on how we could support them. We do need to go back to basics, which the curriculum strand is looking at as part of the K-12 review.

@TheManilaTimes

Cocopea Managing Dir. Estrada: We reaffirm support for face-to-face instruction for the school year, as per DepEd Order 34. Instruction had to shift to distance learning during the pandemic, esp during lockdowns.

@TheManilaTimes

Estrada: Private schools primarily used online modalities while public schools used primarily modular learning.

@TheManilaTimes

Estrada: We also hope to increase Covid-19 vaccination coverage and that DoH would prioritize vaccination for students.

@TheManilaTimes

Estrada: We have received word that blended learning is being considered and drafted by DepEd for the approval of President Marcos and that matters we raised would be resolved no later than Sept. 30.

@TheManilaTimes

Estrada: With the strong partnership between public and private education institutions, there is no doubt the PH education system can recover fully from the pandemic and even reach greater heights.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa on renting private schools to address lack of classrooms: We're still coordinating with private schools. We're looking into that, but our permanent solution is to build more classrooms and school buildings that would need more budget.
@TheManilaTimes

Poa on available teaching posts: Marami pa ring vacant and newly-created posts need to be filled. We're looking if we can streamline the application process to fill these posts and also hire more teachers and other non-teaching personnel.
@TheManilaTimes

Poa: We're identifying schools lacking resources to address gaps to ensure we can successfully implement full in-person classes.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa on K-12 review: Napakarami ng learning competencies natin — we want to focus on the most essential areas — Math, Science, English, and Literacy.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa: Malaki ang promise ng K-12 na employable ang K-12 graduates which is not happening. We'd want to align what SHS students are learning and the industry needs.

We're also reviewing the mother tongue.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa on issues faced with in-person classes: Alam natin na marami pa ring problems tulad ng infrastructure, lalo na tinamaan pa tayo ng bagyo. Incidents helped inform us which gaps we need to resolved.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa: We want to be transparent na 'di kayang agaran ang solusyon — we're coordinating with LGUs — and we'll try to resolve with short-term and long-term plans.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa on Covid-19 cases: Wala pang narereport from regional offices na infected with Covid-19 sa schools; but we still have to implement our health standards to avoid a surge.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa on preparedness against Covid-19: Schools are unique in their own way, but we are pushing for vaccination against Covid-19. We are implementing a non-discriminatory policy as it is not mandatory, but we encourage vaccination.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa: We are also strictly implementing our health and safety standards such as wearing face masks. We also have temperature checks and there are also wash facilities. We have released P3.7B MOOE for schools to provide resources.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa: Implement physical distancing whenever possible — again unique ang bawat school so iba-iba ang conditions. We have a shifting schedule to help with that.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa on additional teacher salary subsidy: We are still reviewing the GASPTE. We recognize the importance of private schools in supporting public schools.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa on support for teachers: We're looking at providing non-wage benefits and see that they are overworked. We want to achieve a balance — bawasan, or even totally eliminate admin tasks.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa: GMRC is already part of the K-12 review, nothing final but the proposal is to put it back in the curriculum. For ROTC, we support Pres. Marcos on mandatory ROTC but we will not implement it alone, that's on congress to create a law.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa on Mandanas ruling: It affected DepEd, perhaps not in the best way. DBM deferred construction of schools to LGUs, only 5th and 6th class municipalities could be supported by DepEd despite it being our mandate.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa: Talagang nabawasan ang budget ng DepEd sa pagpapatayo ng school buildings. We are coordinating with DBM on the Mandanas ruling, which will probably be discussed in the budget hearings.

@TheManilaTimes

Poa: Marami talagang nahirapan in the 2 years of pandemic — when we switched to distance learning, marami ang naexclude dahil walang internet access at pangbili ng gadgets. We want to have students back in the classroom to address gaps.
@TheManilaTimes

Poa: We need the cooperation of public agencies & the private sector toward the improvement of the education system in the PH. We want to produce learners with character, who are competent, and employable upon graduation in K-12.

@TheManilaTimes