DepEd explains move to extend school year

MANILA: An education official defended Wednesday the Department of Education’s decision to extend the academic year until July 10 to address learning gaps among students.

“We want to give children the chance to catch up because we don’t want anyone to be left behind even if it’s just one student,” said DepEd Undersecretary Diosdado Antonio.

“’We assume that there would be lessons until Saturday so there’s no room for makeup classes, “ he added.

DepEd implemented distance learning – where students study in their homes through printed and digital modules, online classes, television and radio – to avoid exposing education workers and learners to the risk of Covid-19, which has sickened over 580,000 in the country.

A group of teachers, meanwhile, said they were not consulted prior to the DepEd announcement about the extension of the academic year.

“We were surprised this has been going around without even being mentioned to teachers...Teachers weren’t consulted. The DepEd consults children, their parents, the business sector...they consult everyone but teachers,” Teachers Dignity Coalition national chairman Benjo Basas said.

The agency’s decision to extend the school year is aimed to address the lack of self-learning modules, Basas said.

“We think some people’s comments are right that if we extend the school year, we will also extend the struggle of our students.”  

President Rodrigo Duterte has twice rejected the DepEd’s proposal to pilot test limited face-to-face classes despite calls from various groups and lawmakers to safely reopen schools, citing challenges in distance learning.