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DepEd betting on transistor radios too to help students cope with blended learning

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<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cfBPiTnohKg?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>MANLA - The Department of Education (DepEd) said the use of transistor radios for students in far-flung areas will help them transition to blended learning as the traditional face-to-face mode is still not allowed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.“The department is preparing for remote learning. We have to emphasize that these are various modalities that will include not just online platforms, but also printed modules, offline digital platform, and complimented by TV and radio-based instruction,” said DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan.In an interview on ANC’s Headstart, Malaluan said that if there is no available technology in far-flung areas then at least students will have something other than printed modules.“We are preparing for printed modules. In fact, even in Metro Manila, there will be printed modules. It will not be completely online or digital,” he said.President Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing the procurement of transistor radios that will be distributed to far-flung areas to help students cope with blended learning this school year.Duterte also reiterated his order that physical classes cannot resume unless a vaccine against COVID-19 has been made available.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/16/20/duterte-eyes-transistor-radios-to-help-students-in-far-flung-areas">Duterte eyes transistor radios to help students in far-flung areas</a></li></ul>Malaluan said it is an option for the DepEd to have face-to-face classes subject to minimum health standards, including physical distancing. “With respect to the education part, DepEd certainly has the jurisdiction. But with respect to the public health aspect of this, we are also bound by the decision among the public health agencies—DOH and the IATF— and ultimately by the president as well,” he said.DepEd earlier said that they plan to tap government TV and radio stations to broadcast lessons for students in the provinces when classes resume this August.The department has also reduced the learning competencies for the upcoming school year.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/19/20/deped-reduces-learning-competencies-for-next-school-year-following-k-12-review">DepEd reduces learning competencies for next school year following K-12 review</a></li></ul>Learning competencies refer to the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes that students need to demonstrate in every lesson or learning activity, according to a 2015 DepEd order.“We have reduced our K-12 full curriculum across year level and subject areas from more than 15,000 learning competencies to about 5,600 most essential learning competencies to ease the burden of transforming our learning resources,” said Malaluan.Malaluan added that all learning competencies will have the respective modules. “At least the 5,600 most essential learning competencies across grade level and subject level need to have a distance learning module in various formats,” he said.Meanwhile, the department has launched its dropbox system of enrolment for parents who has no remote enrolment capability, said Malaluan.“We call it dropbox system of enrolment to complement the still ongoing remote enrolment system. Our enrolment now per our report is 11.5 million, that included remote enrolment that started as early as June 1,” he said.He however said there will be delay in determining the number of enrollees for the dropbox system.“The teachers will have to retrieve the enrolment and survey forms, encode them, unlike in the purely remote where they are already in digital form. There will be a lag and we will see in the next couple of days what the pace is of the enrolment with respect to this dropbox system,” he said.

The Department of Education (DepEd) said the use of transistor radios for students in far-flung areas will help them transition to blended learning as the traditional face-to-face mode is still not allowed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Education (DepEd) said the use of transistor radios for students in far-flung areas will help them transition to blended learning as the traditional face-to-face mode is still not allowed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.