Sara Mulls Institutionalizing Blended Learning; F2F Classes To Push Through On Nov. 2

The Department of Education (DepEd) will prepare a plan on the possibility of institutionalizing blended learning in the basic education sector, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said on Wednesday, July 20.

Duterte, however, maintained that the requirement of five-day in-person classes by Nov. 2 is still in effect.

She raised the possibility of institutionalizing a blended learning mode of instruction during the Cabinet meeting last Tuesday, July 19.

President Marcos agreed that a plan should be made “with a caveat that face-to-face classes shall be the priority and blended modality shall be considered only in specific schools and areas with special circumstances,” according to the Vice President.

“The DepEd will prepare a plan to be reviewed by the President. No details are forthcoming any time soon,” she said.

During the Cabinet meeting, Marcos instructed the DepEd and other relevant agencies to come up with necessary preparations and planning for the resumption of face-to-face classes this year.

He directed concerned agencies to rebuild and repair school buildings destroyed by Typhoon Odette in December last year, saying the government may be forced to continue carrying out blended learning in some areas if major concerns are not addressed.

Implemented during the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, blended learning combines various modes of instruction such as using printed modules and holding of online classes.

Initially limited to distance learning modalities, the DepEd has since introduced limited face-to-face classes in areas with low-risk classifications.

In her first order as education secretary, Duterte mandated all elementary and high schools, whether public or private, to resume full face-to-face classes by Nov. 2.

Private schools, however, have urged the DepEd to reconsider the policy and allow flexibility in the mode of instruction that they could adopt.

“Blended or hybrid learning has been effective in the private schools in the last two school years and may continue to help learners to complement their in-person classes this coming school year,” the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA) said in its letter to Duterte last week.

“The flexibility and finding the right balance of the pros and cons of both online and in-person classes would benefit the education sector more. The objective of improving the learning opportunity and outcomes of children by pushing for face-to-face classes (as well as of boosting the economy) ought to be balanced with the need to ensure their health and safety, which remains to be of paramount importance,” the COCOPEA added.

Old problems

In a separate statement, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said Marcos’ statement that blended learning would continue in “very specific areas” is an admission that the problems before the pandemic have not been resolved.

“It highlights the failure to address classroom and teacher shortages for the longest time would not even allow us to bring all our students back to school without compromising their health and safety, especially in urban areas, despite the urgent need for face-to-face instructions,” ACT chairman Vladimer Quetua said.

“The national government should have an effective and comprehensive plan to provide the needs for blended learning and not just depend on local government units to provide gadgets, internet and module printouts. The blended learning setup should also be clear as temporary because it has been proven that for the last two years this type of distance learning modalities is not effective, especially for young learners,” Quetua added.

The group reiterated its requests to ensure the safe implementation of full in-person classes, including the hiring of more teachers and nurses, and increase the schools’ maintenance and operating budget.

Also on Wednesday, Duterte met with Batangas Rep. Ralph Recto at the DepEd Central Office in Pasig City to discuss issues related to the education sector.

“We discussed the steps to further enhance and improve the quality of education in our country,” the Vice President said in Filipino.

F2F classes

Meanwhile, Marcos has urged schools around the country to implement face-to-face classes – if possible, as early as August – even as he ordered the DepEd to provide the necessary devices and other materials to those that will continue with blended learning.

The President made the directive during a Cabinet meeting last Tuesday – the third since he assumed the presidency – as the country braces for the opening of school year 2022-2023 on Aug. 22.

“We continue with blended learning, but only in very specific places. As much as possible, we should do face-to-face,” Marcos told members of his Cabinet, led by Duterte.

“What we’re going to do is identify the areas that will conduct blended learning, and that is where we’re going to focus. Let’s prepare the devices and other things they need that we failed to supply them during the pandemic,” Marcos said in Filipino.

The President also urged his Cabinet to take into consideration other issues such as internet connectivity and the increasing number of COVID-19 infections in the country that might affect the planned full implementation of face-to-face classes.

In his recent vlog, Marcos said the government would embark on a large-scale immunization drive to ramp up COVID-19 booster vaccination as part of its preparation for the full implementation of face-to-face classes in November.

While he cited the importance of getting COVID-19 vaccines and a booster dose in his recovery from his second bout with the disease, he emphasized that there is no need to pass a law to make it mandatory.

The President tested positive for COVID-19 in an antigen test on July 8, a few days after assuming office. He first tested positive for the disease in March 2020 after traveling in Europe.

Primary languages

In another development, a DepEd official is pushing for the use of English and Filipino as primary languages of instruction even in the primary level.

“With all due respect to the experts who pushed this mother tongue as part of the K-12 law, being theoretical is different from being practical… The mother tongue may be applicable to faraway areas in the country where English and Filipino are really not the mother tongue of the kids and the family,” Education Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said in an interview with ANC on Wednesday.

“But in major areas in the country, especially in the highly urbanized cities, we can start already with English and Filipino as medium of instruction and use the mother tongue only as an exception in case the people in the area are not introduced to English and Filipino,” he added.

Republic Act No. 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act, which established the K-12 system, mandates that basic education “shall be delivered in languages understood by the learners.”

Students in Kindergarten up to Grade 3 are required to receive instruction, teaching materials and assessment in their respective regional or native language.

Densing, however, noted that the country still scored low in international assessments despite adopting the policy, which was intended to improve the performance of students by teaching them concepts using the language that they can easily understand.

“I would want to say to use the regular English and Filipino language as a medium of instruction, with the mother tongue as an exception to the rule. I would rather have that in my perspective,” he said.

The DepEd official clarified that it was only his personal view on the matter and not an official position of the agency.

He also stressed the need for legislation before his proposal can be implemented.

Various groups earlier opposed proposals to adopt English as the sole medium of instruction in the country.

For Quetua, language barrier “is a basic reason” why the Philippines lags behind in international assessments.

“Countries that usually take the top tier of these assessments are those whose main medium of instruction is their national language, that is why learning is well-facilitated, and they per-form better in the tests that were conducted in their own languages,” he said.

Quetua noted that in the Philippines, international assessments are done in English as it is the main medium of instruction.

“This is a big impediment to student learning because they have to master the English language first before they can learn science and math concepts. In the classroom, they also cannot freely express themselves because English is not their vernacular. This dilemma also clips their ability for critical thinking and in formulating arguments,” he said.

“While there is the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Law and the Bilingual Education Policy, the reality is that English remains to be the language predominantly used in our educational system,” he added.

The ACT chief stressed the importance of strengthening the use local languages and Filipino to improve the learning and understanding of the students.

Meanwhile, Densing said Duterte has directed relevant personnel to start reviewing Grades 11 and 12.

“Even prior to the survey and the assumption of office of this administration, the DepEd has already made a review of the K-12 program. They’ve started to review kindergarten to Grade 10, and I believe that they are now finalizing the assessment and would be presenting their proposed revisions anytime soon,” Densing said. – With Helen Flores