The Department of Education (DepEd) is pushing for the institutionalization of the blended learning as a permanent mode of education delivery alongside the traditional solutions of hiring more teachers and building more classrooms to address shortages, an education official said on Tuesday.
“That’s why we also presented that we are now going on a two-track approach wherein, alongside the traditional solutions of building more classrooms and hiring more teachers, we also want to tap into technology, (one of the) lessons we learned during the pandemic,” DepEd Undersecretary Michael Poa said during a press briefing in Malacañang.
DepEd and CHED officials met President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Malacañang to present their accomplishments ahead of the President’s SONA.
“Kasi noong pandemya, na-realize natin na puwede pala iyong blended learning, puwede pala iyong online classes. So, we want to use that to be able to decongest our schools. This will effectively and efficiently resolve iyong issues…as to teachers’ shortage and classroom shortage in a quicker span of time,” Poa said.
However, before implementing the blended learning, Poa said DepEd has to make sure that the program to be adopted is effective to ensure quality education.
In carrying out the program, Poa said DepEd will be looking at best practices even in the private sector to ensure that blended learning, once it is implemented, will not affect the quality of education.
DepEd is also collaborating with CHED through the Teachers Education Council (TEC) to improve the Philippine education system.
Poa said they reported to President Marcos DepEd’s yearlong accomplishments, as well as the department’s plans moving forward.
Among those presented were updates on the curriculum, the achievements as 28.4 million learners went to school back in August 2022, and the national learning recovery program.
‘We highlighted iyong ating national learning camps that we will be piloting very soon, (on) July 24, which will offer enhancement, consolidation and also intervention camps for our learners during the break,” Poa said.
“Aside from that, we also focused on what we’ve done in terms of learners’ welfare and teachers’ welfare,” he added. *PND*
