MAYNILA - The Department of Education (DepEd) has the means to assist parents who may have to guide their children as public schools open classes on October 5 using distance learning methods, an official said Saturday.

In a briefing two days before the opening of classes, Education Undersecretary Tonisito Umali said officials are working to distribute self-learning modules, and that "flexible" means are provided for students who will enter the school year through online learning methods and encounter Internet connectivity issues.

"Kung may isyu ang magulang sa pagkuha ng modules, DepEd na po mismo ang magpapadala sa kanila kung may isyu po sa connectivity. We will be very flexible, kung nagkaroon sila ng problema madali po mag-shift to distance modality, self-learning modules or sa TV and radio means," Umali said.

(If parents have issues with claiming their modules, DepEd will be the ones to distribute them. And if there are connectivity issues, we will be very flexible. It will be easy to shift to distance modality, self-learning modules, or through TV and radio means.)

Face-to-face classes are suspended during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as the government sought to contain the virus.

As of the third week of September, 533,209,023 self-learning modules have been distributed to public school students who opted to use printed modules for the incoming school year. This accounts for 80 percent of the modules, Umali said.

Distance learning simulations carried out in the past saw delivery in far-flung areas as one of the problems in distance learning simulations.

• Module delivery, parents answering activity sheets: Challenges seen in distance learning simulations

Parents are responsible for claiming their children's self-learning modules once a week. They should also return activity sheets attached in the modules after every one or two weeks, according to the officials

Around 22.5 million public school students have enrolled for the school year, according to government data, with 3.1 million students opting not to go to school this term. Some parents said they were worried about having to guide their children, concerned that they could not read or write or sustain resources needed for online and modular learning.

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In the briefing, Umali said they have some 3,120 television video lessons and 3,445 radio episodes to be aired in some 207 TV channels and 162 radio stations nationwide "to supplement" distance learning methods.

"Kung mayroon pong hindi naipapaliwanag o hindi maunawaan ng mga bata masisiguro na may sistema po ang kagawaran na malalaman po ito. Pagbalik ng activity sheets makikita ng teacher kung nakakasabay o naiintindihan 'yung lesson," Umali said.

(If there is something parents can't explain or if their kids cannot understand lessons, we have means to check what this is. When parents return activity sheets, teachers can see if students can follow or understand the lessons.)

"Kung hindi po nila maiintindihan, mayroon po maski doon sa araw o linggo na may itinuturo ang mga magulang at ginagabay na dapat matutunan, dapat po klarong-klaro alam po ni nanay at tatay ang numerong tatawagan… At mula po roon may intervention na gagawin," he added.

(If they do not understand something, even in days or weeks that parents are guiding their children, parents should know the number to call. From there, an intervention will be given.)