Tolentino urges DepEd to partner with PTV, NTC
SEN. Francis Tolentino on Friday urged the Department of Education ( DepEd) to partner with PTV- 4 and the National Telecommunications Commission ( NTC) to educate more students amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He made the call during the Senate Committee on Basic Education’s hearing, saying the government- owned television station could be instrumental in strengthening distance learning.
“The PTV- 4, as a free TV channel, is an ideal platform especially to students who don’t have internet access at home,” the lawmaker said.
Tolentino likewise asked NTC Deputy Commissioner Engineer Edgardo Cabarios to coordinate with the DepEd to make this a reality, citing the examples of China and Kenya.
“Dapa tkumikilos na ang NTC ( NTC should start moving) and act as a bridge between PTV- 4 and DepEd,” he said, adding that countries like China and Kenya were using their respective state- owned television stations as platform for distant learning for maximum reach.
Cabarios, for his part, agreed with Tolentino’s proposal, saying the NTC would issue a circular or memorandum on the matter.
The committee, headed by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, also tackled two of Tolentino’s other measures — Senate Bills ( SBs) 1457 and 1458.
In SB 1457, Tolentino wants to give the DepEd secretary the power to defer opening of classes and shorten the start of the school year during emergencies and calamities.
Meanwhile, SB 1458 aims to empower the DepEd secretary to shorten the school year and mass promote the students during calamities and emergencies.
The DepEd also briefly tackled the expansion of the basic education curriculum, which is the subject of Tolentino’s SB 1460.
In SB 1460, Tolentino wants the DepEd to develop a national education policy framework for online or broadcast learning delivery.
Under the measure, the expansion may include distance education and online learning, to address current and future developments that would require the recalibration of the “in- person” school system.