FILE COPY 10 August 2020 Leonor Magtolis Briones Secretary Department of Education ree 72130 y PES. OK tacracen Dear Secretary Briones, In the course of our COVID-19 operations, different sectors have reached out to align and present feedback and suggestions on various issues. They do this in the hope that our Office may offer a path towards being heard. Among them are education experts and advocates as well as teachers, parents, and students themselves who have raised concerns regarding the opening of classes this year. We have consolidated their input and recommendations, and write this leter to share with you the following points: 1. National leadership has been clear that our education system will shift to distance or blended learning given the pronouncement that no face-to-face instruction will take place until a vaccine is available, However, the lack of clear operational directives on such a mode of education has yielded concerns from teachers who are tasked to implement it. For example, multi-modular learning ensures that those who do not have access to the internet continue learning despite the restrictions we currently have. It is noted that these modules are now available in the DepEd Commons. However, there is a need to cascade information in a more efficient manner, given that some teachers have expressed that they have yet to receive these modules. Furthermore, there is uncertainty about who will cover the expenses of printing, reproducing, and distributing the modules. Schools with proactive local governments can cope better; they get necessary support such as risograph machines and supplies. For areas that are not similarly situated, however, it becomes even more important for the Department to find the gaps in reproducing and distributing such ‘materials, and to move expeditiously to fill them, given that the opening of classes is fast approaching. 2. Data shows that 61% or around 14 million households do not have access to the internet. Moreover, 74% or around 34,700 schools do not have the infrastructure to engage in online learning. While we understand that the Department has set up the DepEd Commons learning platform for students to access lessons on their own, we have received reports that only 7 million students have so far subscribed to this platform. This constitutes only 35% of the estimated 20 million public school students in the country. It seems evident that the front-end domino to responding to these challenges is access to the internet. Perhaps it would be prudent for government to devote significant resources in setting up internet hubs in schools and communities, so that the gaps in access are addressed. No. 100 11" St, Barangay Mariana New Manila, Quezon City 1112 sonwoypgox.ph | wwrwlenirobredo.com3. The DepEd has launched several programs for the upcoming school year. Some teachers, however, have expressed concern on the lack of support for these. They gave examples such as the lack of clarity, not to mention the resources, as regards implementation procedures, and expressed some doubt whether the programs are truly achieving their intended purpose. A clear framework communicating why these programs are needed, and how to implement them, may be of help in assuaging the teachers’ concerns. 4, Aside from issues on how lessons will be delivered, teachers have also raised their concerns for their own wellbeing. Those we have engaged await concrete plans regarding how the DepEzd will ensure their health during this pandemic and what support they can expect in case they become infected, These anxieties are becoming more pronounced given that they, to0, will be among our frontliners when the school year opens. We recommend that the following steps be taken immediately, in time for the opening of the school year: a. Set up a COVID-19 mass testing mechanism specifically for teachers, with testing and the distribution of results done before classes begin; b. Set aside sufficient funds for physical check-ups of teachers and for the medicines they would need; c. Ensure that teachers have the right materials to do their work, including supplies such as PPEs, hand sanitizers, and other protective equipment. These would go a long way in minimizing the already huge amount of anxiety that our educators are feelings d._ Ensure that hazard pay reaches teachers regularly and on-time; and e. Create a system to address the health and wellness needs of our teachers. 5. Our office has received numerous requests for teaching supplies such as bond paper, printers, and the like, underscoring the need to rethink how resources are being utilized and how teachers can gain access to additional resources. In line with this, we are putting forward the following recommendations as regards the budget: a, Establish a mechanism for transparency. If the public—primarily, the teachers who are our main implementers—are apprised of the Department's resources, including how much is left and where the budget is going, then they will come to understand the Department's challenges and be part of the consensus-building process regarding which programs can still be effectively implemented. b. Senator Lacson pointed out that a significant amount of the 2019 DepEd budget was left unutilized. These funds could be requested as support for our teachers this coming school year. ¢. Around P29.5 billion was earmarked for the rehabilitation of school buildings for 2020. Given the shift to distance learning, many of these school buildings will be left without children to occupy them, thus deprioritizing the need for the rehabilitation of physical spaces. This amount can be used to procure the needed gadgets and equipment for distance learning, as well as address the health concerns of educators. No. 100 11" St, Barangay Mariana New Manila, Quezon City 1112 sewwoypgox.ph | wwwJenirobredo.com4, Around P700 million has been set aside for in-service training of teachers this year. Many of these trainings have already, or will be, shifted to online modalities, thus freeing up resources that would otherwise have been used for travel and. accommodations, These resources can be used for other support, such as those mentioned in previous points, including testing for teachers. 6. As regards private schools: Educators have raised concerns regarding meeting the Department's many requirements for learning continuity. These “Non-negotiable Minimum Requirements for Online Distance Learning/Blended Learning” include 24- hour technical support, helpdesk personnel to answer teacher and student queries, and the publication in their platforms of fully-detailed modules and plans. This is burdensome given the dynamic nature of the teaching-learning process, especially at a time of great adjustment for educational institutions, many of who are facing dwindling enrollment, and whose teachers do not all have the same degree of competence to deliver in the online mode. Educators in the private school system are among our partners in the broader vision of an ‘educated populace ~ and the times call for them to be approached with compassion and flexibility. Rather than approach educators from a restrictive frame of mind, pethaps a more empowering and support-driven approach will be more effective. Rest assured that we understand the complexity of the challenges before us. We are, ultimately, united in the goal of ensuring the continuity of learning and the welfare of our educators. We submit these insights and recommendations in the spirit of solidarity so that we may all, as one nation, build the better normal that our people deserve. Sincerely, 2 MARIA LEONOR GERONA ROBREDO No. 100 11" St, Barangay Mariana ‘New Manila, Quezon City 1112 sewwovpgov.ph | wwwlenirobrede.com