By Joseph B.A. Marzan
With the opening of classes for School Year 2020-2021 inching closer, plans of Iloilo City schools to manage modes of learning are still being finalized amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to the Department of Education (DepEd)-Division of Iloilo City.
DepEd Iloilo City Schools Division Superintendent Ma. Luz De Los Reyes told Daily Guardian that enrollment is still ongoing, and that 95 percent of students who enrolled last year will return in the coming school year, which starts on Aug 24.
An estimated 78,000 learners were enrolled last year, according to DepEd-Iloilo City data.
De Los Reyes said that plans for the school year are “a work in progress” based on several factors, with the city’s COVID-19 situation in the city being the top factor, as well as the city’s economic status amid the pandemic.
“Our plans are a work in progress. Every now and then, they change. Right now, we are modifying the plans, with adjustments considering the current situation of COVID-19 in the city, in terms of safety, economic effects, security, among others. We’re asking for data from the city government regarding the number of cases because, for example, if a barangay has around, say, 22 cases, would we insist on delivery and distribution? Our teachers may be at risk if we push for that. Another is the readiness of our materials. Will the production of materials finish on time? As superintendent, for all of us here at DepEd in Iloilo City, we cannot say we are fully prepared but we keep on preparing. We’re doing our best, but like the song goes, it may not be good enough,” she said.
De Los Reyes added that the safety of teachers and other personnel are primary to the DepEd to ensure that the opening of classes will be well-implemented.
“Especially now that there are many cases [in the city], we have to be extra careful. We have to prioritize the safety of the teachers because we want to implement by the August 24 opening with their safety being on the DepEd’s mind. That’s why our schools are carefully strategizing how they deliver and retrieve materials, modules, and activity sheets which we release, so this will entail tight observance health protocols for the safety of our teachers, especially on August 24, during orientation, where we will need to orient parents on their roles and responsibilities” she added.
De Los Reyes said that DepEd Iloilo City is actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the city as it has been affecting the activities of schools for the delivery of instruction.
Teachers in areas with high concentration of COVID-19 case have been prohibited from re-entering school premises and were advised to work remotely from their homes.
Other school frontliners have also been ordered to work from home, unless it would be necessary for them to go to the school or the office.
“There are teachers and principals who live in areas which are COVID-19 hotspots, like in Bo. Obrero in Lapuz. Last time, we did a dry run of their modular modality, we did not let them continue with theirs in the area because of many cases there because we may expose our teachers. If it were up to me, no matter our desire to open, if we see the danger there, I will take responsibility to ensure that our teachers will be safe. We’ve also instructed principals to just assign guards or watchmen to look over the property, because we can’t risk having them going back and forth because even we in DepEd may be infected,” De Los Reyes said.
MATERIALS
De Los Reyes also said that more than 70 percent of the city’s learners chose modular learning, 15 percent for purely online modes, and around eight percent will be using television and radio-based instruction.
The superintendent said that DepEd personnel are looking for donors for consumable materials such as paper due to the expected surge in modular learning, given the lack of internet connection for low-income families and some areas unreachable by internet connectivity.
“They’re looking for donors because the whole Philippines will be using paper. Not all will have the opportunity to have access to the internet, and therefore almost 70 percent or more opted for modular or print modality. It’s a possibility to run out of consumables related to reproduction. In the meantime, here in Iloilo City, though we have guaranteed support through the city’s Special Education Fund, there will still be a procurement process, and these are truckloads of consumables, so we cannot guarantee delivery by the opening,” the superintendent said,
She added the Division of Iloilo City has already secured the services of a printing press in the city to reproduce the necessary materials for the incoming school year, in addition to allowing schools to use 30 percent of appropriated Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) to buy materials.
“In the meantime, the DepEd will make use of its own fund to make sure that we have something to use. We have allowed schools to use 30 percent of their MOOE to buy materials even for worksheets and activity sheets to reproduce. But the Division Office has already closed the procurement procedure for printing of our materials, so we will have a printing press which will initially reproduce materials for the first few weeks of the school year. Hopefully in 10 to 15 days the modules will be finished,” she said.
