DepEd allows private schools to continue distance, blended learning beyond Nov. 2 | ABS-CBN

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DepEd allows private schools to continue distance, blended learning beyond Nov. 2

DepEd allows private schools to continue distance, blended learning beyond Nov. 2

Jaehwa Bernardo,

ABS-CBN News

 | 

Updated Oct 18, 2022 09:21 AM PHT

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Students take part in their online classes inside their home in Parañaque on September 24, 2020. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File
Students take part in their online classes inside their home in Parañaque on September 24, 2020. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA (UPDATE) — Private schools in the country may continue implementing distance and blended learning beyond Nov. 2, the Department of Education (DepEd) said in an order issued Monday.

The DepEd earlier mandated all public and private schools to shift to 5 days of in-person classes beginning Nov. 2.

But in a department order dated Oct. 17, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said private schools can still implement blended learning or full distance learning.

The Department of Education allows private schools to continue implementing blended and full distance learning after November 2. Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News

The Department of Education allows private schools to continue implementing blended and full distance learning after November 2. Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News

Under the blended learning scheme, private schools can have 3 days of in-person classes and 2 days of distance learning, and thereafter, 4 days of in-person classes and 1 day of distance learning, according to the order.

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Private schools can also hold 5 days of in-person classes, the DepEd said.

All public schools, meanwhile, "shall have transitioned to 5-days in-person classes" beginning Nov. 2, based on the order.

"After the said date, no public school shall be allowed to implement purely distance learning or blended learning, except for those that are expressly provided an exemption by the Regional Director, those whose classes are automatically cancelled due to disaster and calamities, and those implementing Alternative Delivery Modes," it added.

In a statement, the DepEd said it was "cognizant" of the situation of private schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the "the amount of investment in online learning technologies, the development and institutionalization of best practices on blended learning, and the unfortunate closure of small private schools because of losses."

Despite the new policy, DepEd "maintains its confidence in the benefits of holding in-person classes to promote academic development and the overall mental health and well-being of our learners," the agency said.

"DepEd... hopes that parents/guardians of private school learners would not miss the abundance of scientific studies available on the advantages of in-person classes over online learning," it said.

The department added it would speed up the review of its blended learning program "to ensure that it will benefit our learners and essentially address learning issues."

Private school administrators, meanwhile, welcomed the new policy.

The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines thanked the DepEd for "giving primary consideration to students' and parents' choice of [learning] platforms."

"This [development] also gives the flexibility needed to strengthen innovation in basic [education] schools and maximize the benefits of hybrid learning modalities, even as we also integrate in-person classes in schools," the group said in a statement.

The Federation of Associations of Private School Administrators (FAPSA) said private schools would have suffered "more problems" if full in-person classes were made mandatory.

"Even our own parents do not want to send their kids to school daily since the outbreak or COVID-19 is very much around," FAPSA President Eleazardo Kasilag said.

The DepEd is pushing for the return of the traditional classroom setup to address learning losses prompted by school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

— With a report from Arra Perez, ABS-CBN News

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