SAN FERNANDO CITY (September 30, 2020)–The Department of Education Region I (DepEd-RI) is ready to serve the more than 1.2 Million enrolled learners who will undergo distance learning for School Year 2020-2021, which will begin on October 5.
Regional Director Tolentino G. Aquino highlighted this during the Kumustahansa DepEd Rehiyun Uno which was aired live via Facebook and MS Teams recently.
He said that the DepEd Regional Office I (ROI) and the 14 Schools Division Offices (SDOs) jointly conducted thorough preparations which were guided by health protocols.
Included are the preparation of self-learning materials, tutorial videos, simulation classes, dry run in the implementation of Radio and TV-based instructions, and other programs and activities that are beneficial not only to the teachers and learners but also to the parents and other stakeholders as well.
Prior to this, an online survey of school facilities, availability of instructional materials, as well as the readiness of schools were done.
Considering the existence of a pandemic, the RO through its different functional divisions initiated trainings to prepare the teachers in the pursuit of their task under the new normal, such as the use of online platforms; how to develop learning activity sheets; and the basics of blended learning.
The RO likewise provided them with mental and psychosocial activities which were corroborated with the webinar on building inner resilience through mindfulness and webinar to address mental health needs during the pandemic.
In addition, a Training of trainers on redefining the Roles of Parents and Stakeholders in Education in the New Normal and a Webinar on Parents Educational Training were conducted to prepare the parents in the pursuit of their vital role.
With the emergence of the new normal in education, the RO implements the learning continuity plan through the collaboration of the different functional divisions and the 14 SDOs.
The different Regional Line Agencies, Local Government Units, State Colleges and Universities, Higher Education Institutions, and the private sector have pledged to support the Basic Education – Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) of Region I.
Meanwhile, Director Aquino expressed his gratitude to the parents for the trust they gave to the DepEd by way of enrolling their children for the upcoming school year.
He as well extended his gratefulness to the Local Government Units particularly the Local Chief Executives who provided the much-needed tools and equipment for the successful implementation of the different learning modalities. (Cesar S. Bucsit)
