Continued delivery of education amid pandemic

Cecile N. Velasco

The Department of Education (DepEd) is continuously working with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to assist the education sector in areas related to broadcast, connectivity and digital security for the continued delivery of education amidst the COVID-19 pandemi c.

With face-to-face classes still prohibited, the opening of school in September will be carried out through alternative learning delivery modalities.

DepEd continues to emphasize the unique synergy of the two departments closely working together in the delivery of education via the internet. This, as the DepEd has overcome challenges in the current pandemic, especially in schools located within community quarantine areas.

The DICT and its attached agency National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) have encouraged telecommunication companies last school year to continue giving free access to DepEd Commons and other online platforms of the Department.

There has also been allocation of free internet bandwidth to public schools while various businesses, telecommunications services, community cable providers, and internet service providers (ISP) did the same.

While DepEd is working to improve access of learners and schools to the internet, online learning is only one option from the menu of learning delivery modalities to be used.

As with the last school year, the modality to be used will be responsive in the context and available resources of the schools and the learners.

The Department has also tapped the DICT for assistance in providing physical security infrastructure or activity protocols to safeguard learners, teachers and staff from any unwanted security breaches and exposure to harmful online cont ent .

With the advent of an immense exposure of our learners in the online community, the DepEd sought the DICT’s assistance to avoid or totally limit access to sites relating to pornography, sex, violence, cybercrimes and other inappropriate material for children.

In the long term, DepEd is also eyeing to tap DICT for technical support for the Department’s Last Mile Schools Program through the augmentation of satellite capacity and the establishment of a fiber network connected to the far-flung schools.

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The author is Teacher II at San Matias Elementary School