Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said he is “convinced” that the Department of Education is ready for distance learning once classes start on August 24.
Gatchalian, chair of the Senate basic education committee, said that most of the school divisions he had talked with informed him that they are ready and capable.
However, he does not agree on reverting to face to face learning by Aug. 24 since most of the preparations by school divisions will go to waste if this happens.
He also warned that it is still dangerous to do this because anything can happen by Aug. 24.
He said face-to face learning may be possible by that time should the country’s COVID-19 number of cases go down, and if a vaccine against the disease will be available by October.
Based on an independent survey that he has conducted, he said several school divisions said that their preparations for opening of classes was “ongoing.”
“If you remember, the preparations, the framework comes from the national, DepEd, but the printing, and the preparation of the module comes from the local,” said Gatchalian.
“So with the preparation of the modules, school divisions said that they were 80 to 90 percent prepared,” he added.
He added that ‘webinars’ and other training for teachers in preparation for distance are now ongoing.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte approved DepEd’s proposal to conduct limited face-to-face learning in “low-risk” modified general community quarantine areas. But DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones noted that limited classroom classes may only be allowed to start in January 2021.