‘Last mile’ schools top priority in govt’s blended learning plan
DAVAO City—so-called last mile schools, or schools in remote locations, would be prioritized under the government’s education innovation to utilize all forms of teaching modules—from printed materials and televisionaired instructions to online teaching—amid the raging pandemic.
The priority was linked to the current construction of the Public Education Network, or PEN, “that will connect all public schools and offices of the Department of Education [Deped] nationwide.”
The PEN is being established by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) as part of the sudden innovation in teaching to prevent face-to-face gathering of pupils, students and teachers at the time of the continuing spread of the coronavirus and to avoid making the schools the source of another wave of infection.
“We would prioritize the connection of all last mile schools and those with no electricity supply can have it via satellite and energized via solar panels,” President Duterte said in his 5th State of the Nation Address on Monday.
By 2022, he said, the year that he would be stepping down from office, “the PEN shall be realized [and] I will do it.”
Duterte said he would not allow traditional face-to-face teaching, or learning, unless all risks of exposure to the coronavirus are eliminated.
But the President clarified that he would only allow in-person learning to resume by January next year based on his belief that a vaccine will be available by September.
Under Deped’s blended learning, the department will implement online and modular learning, as well as TV- and radio-based broadcast. Deped will provide printed modules for those who cannot afford online learning, the Presidential Communications Operations Office said in its communication dispatch on Tuesday, citing the President’s speech.
“In support of the Learning Continuity Program through blended learning, we plan to increase the number of schools with ICT equipment in the coming months,” he said. To further support this digitization, Duterte directed his officials to fully utilize television frequencies and have them reverted back to government “for the full benefit of the people especially Filipino school children.”
“I am directing [Justice] Secretary [Menardo] Guevarra, [Science and Technology] Secretary [Fortunato] de la Peña and [Information and Communications Technology] Secretary [Gregorio] Honasan, in collaboration with [Education] Secretary [Leonor] Briones, and Secretary Avisado, together with Secretary Dominguez, to come up with an integrated program and implementation mechanism to ensure that these TV frequencies are fully utilized by government through the facilities of PTV4 for the utmost benefit of the Filipino people,” Duterte said.
“For the remaining two years of my term, all that is good that belongs to government, whether it be the airwaves, whether it be the lines, or whatever that is good for the people, will belong to the government and it should be the government who should be given the first option to utilize them. Ang sobra, kanila,” he said.
The President said that TV frequencies reverted back to the government would be used to provide uninterrupted quality education to Filipino children as the country shifts to e-learning.