Ensuring that learners will be in school

TWO major activities will be done by DepEd prior to the opening of classes. One is to prepare the physical readiness of the schools and learning centers and the other one is to ensure that all the children of school age from Kindergarten to Grade 12 will be in school or learning centers or being given alternative methods to experience life as learner/s given their unique case or situation. In short preparing the school, putting all learners to them and do all possible means to let them stay throughout moving up/graduation. The former is Brigada Eskwela and the latter is Oplan Balik Eskwela or OBE.

OBE is an annual initiative of DepEd to engage education partners and stakeholders in preparation for the opening of classes which will start on May 21 to June 8 at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan, DepEdCentral Office in Pasig City, allregionaloffices and divisionofficesnationwide.

DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said that the conduct of the OBE will ensure that all our learners are properly enrolled and able to attend school on the first day of classes by addressing problems, queries, and other concerns commonly encountered by our stakeholders at the start of the school year.

Regional and division offices will be setting up a command center to receive and respond to concerns directly from the ground and other concerns need for clarification of policies will be forwarded to the OBE Information and Action Center (OBEIAC) of the Central Office at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan. This will serve as information and complaints processing and routing zone for the duration of the project.

Regional information officers and other OBE personnel attended the 2018 OBE National Orientation last May 10 to 11 at the DepEd-CO to capacitate them on how to properly handle and answer questions from the public while the Division Information Officers and/or OBE Focal Persons will also have their own orientation sometimes this week.

Topics discussed at the orientation which may also be the subjects of queries in the field include Learner Reference Number (LRN) and Learner Information System (LIS); Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE); Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT); K to 12 Program; enrollment policies; Kindergarten; Alternative Learning System (ALS); Madrasah Education Program; Special Education (SpEd) Program; disaster-preparedness; Child Protection Policy; and teacher hiring, among others.

Aside from organizing the OBE, DepEd will also assemble other stakeholders and line government agencies who have direct roles to be played during the opening of classes during the OBE Inter-Agency Task Force.

The OBE-IATF is composed of the Department of Energy (DOE); Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); Department of Health (DOH); Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD); Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); Manila Electric Company (MERALCO); Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS); Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA); Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA); and Philippine National Police (PNP) and its local counterparts in the regional and division offices.

This Corner is wishing that all the preparations will be in placed prior to the opening of classes for School Year 2018-2019 in all public schools nationwide on June 4, 2018.