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DepEd ready for Oct. 5 school opening amid calls for academic freeze

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ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oPXGjH1rUHY?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>MANILA - The Department of Education on Thursday reiterated it is ready for the school opening on October 5 despite calls for an academic freeze.DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said the school opening was postponed from June to August and then to October due to the lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.“That is almost 4 months na nakapag-antala ng pagbubukas ng klase and this interruption is already too long. The preparation has already been ongoing. We have an enrollment of more than 24 million already in basic education,” said Malaluan.(The school opening was delayed for almost 4 months and this interruption is already too long.)In an interview on ABS-CBN Teleradyo, Malaluan said there are over 24 million students enrolled for the school year despite the pandemic.“For the basic education side, ang aming singular focus ngayon ay mabuksan sa ligtas at maayos na paraan itong ating papasok na school year through blended learning at distance learning at wala namang face-to-face ito when we open,” he said.(Our focus now is to ensure a safe and orderly school opening through blended learning and distance learning. When we open there is no face-to-face yet.)Of the total number of learners, 22 million are in public schools while 2.02 million are enrolled in private schools. Malaluan said those calling for an academic freeze probably believe that distance learning will only happen through online learning.“In fact, ‘yan nga ang malaking adjustment that the Department of Education did was to have not just online but &#x27;yung tinatawag naming modular learning through printed modules or kung walang connectivity pero merong IT equipment, through offline digital format,” he said.(What the Department of Education did was to have not just online but modular learning through printed modules or through offline digital format.)For the first quarter, Malaluan said the DepEd printed self-learning modules currently being distributed to learners in different regions. “Hindi tama &#x27;yung conception na itong distance learning will be through online modality only,” he said.(It&#x27;s a misconception to say that distance learning will be through online modality only.)Malaluan said the extension of the postponement of school opening to October 5 gave them the opportunity to prepare better. “Primarily, may default mechanism tayo ngayon na self-learning modules at ito namang online at itong TV at radio will be supplementary to the modular learning. We will adjust to it towards the subsequent quarters with lesser dependence on the printed modules as the other complimentary learning modalities come in,” he said.(The self-learning modules is our default mechanism and the online, TV and radio will be supplementary to the modular learning.)Social media was recently abuzz with calls for an &quot;academic freeze,&quot; with the hashtag #AcademicFreezeNow topping the list of trending topics on Twitter Philippines.A petition on Change.org also called for a halt to the start of the school year &quot;until the digital divide is fully resolved or results of mass testing and curve-flattening are already evaluated empirically.&quot;Meanwhile, DepEd urged parents to help supervise their children, not necessarily stepping in as full substitute. He appealed to parents to give their children space with less distraction in the house and to help motivate them.“Pag minsan, kung kailangan ng supervision at konting pag giya in consultation with the teachers then they will have to also perform that task. In theory dapat ganyan in normal circumstances na yung mga magulang ay katulong pa rin ng Department of Education in the learning process of their children.(If there is a need to supervise or guide them a little in consultation with teachers then they will have to also perform that task. In theory, that should be the case in normal circumstance that parents are the Department of Education&#x27;s partner in the learning process of their children.)

MANILA - The Department of Education on Thursday reiterated it is ready for the school opening on October 5 despite calls for an academic freeze.

MANILA - The Department of Education on Thursday reiterated it is ready for the school opening on October 5 despite calls for an academic freeze.