The Department of Education is mulling a 3-week national learning camp in July if face-to-face classes remain suspended due to extreme heat levels brought by the dry season and the El Nino phenomenon. 

Speaking to TeleRadyo Serbisyo, DepEd Deputy Spokesperson Asec. Francis Bringas said students who attend asynchronous classes do gain knowledge but not enough compared to what they can learn during face-to-face classes.

"Based on our experience during the pandemic noong wala tayong face-to-face classes, merong natutunan ang mga bata sa asynchronous classes pero hindi sapat at gaya ng natutunan kapag naka-face to face or synchronous classes," Bringas said. 

The DepEd official said government had no choice but to suspend in-person classes in some areas after the heat index reached danger levels. "Walang choice ang DepEd kundi i-consider ang wellbeing ng mga learner kaya nag-suspend ng face-to-face classes," he said.

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Student's learning is assessed based on their output during this period, he said.

To remedy the learning gap, DepEd is mulling a 3-week national learning camp in July for academically challenged learners in case face-to-face classes remain suspended this May.

"Kung hindi magkaroon ng face-to-face hanggang May, malamang ay hindi na magkakaroon ng opportunity this moth na magkaroon ng interventions for them but ikakasa ng DepEd 'yung national learning camp by July," Bringas said. 

He said students can still take a one-month break in June before joining the 3-week camp in July. He said the camp will remain voluntary in nature but encouraged learners who are academically challenged to join.

"We also have directives in DepEd wherein those with failing grades in the regular school year must do interventions to make them ready for the next year," he said.

A Philippine Assessment for Learning Loss Solutions study earlier revealed elementary and high school students in Philippine private schools experienced considerable learning losses after being forced to implement distance learning or asynchronous classes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Private school students suffer learning losses due to pandemic: study

The study showed that private school students from Grades 1 to 12 garnered average scores of 54.1 percent and 47.5 percent in science and mathematics, respectively, both of which were below the 60 percent passing percentage set by DepEd.

The study was conducted by Cebu-based University of San Carlos (USC) and Metro Manila-based Thames International School during the last quarter of 2022.  The assessment was taken by 3,600 Grades 1 to 12 students in 18 private schools nationwide, covering Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) from third to fourth quarter.