Geared for the challenges that lie ahead in the unprecedented school environment created by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Schools Division of Tabuk City (DepEd-Tabuk City) opened school year 2020-2021 on October 5 to, surprisingly, more enrollees than it had last school year.
In a press conference last week, DepEd-Tabuk reported that the number of enrollees this school year at 36,674 surpassed the learners last school year by 7.41 percent.
Thirty thousand forty-two of these are enrolled in public schools with the remaining 6,632 enrolled in private schools.
Ninety-eight percent of the learners chose modular distance learning while the remainder chose other learning modalities.
Helen Orap, EPS-LR, informed that apart from the modules, they have started developing TV and radio-based learning materials for Grades 1 to 3 to be aired over the Radyo ng Bayan and the city’s two cable television networks – the Northern Star Cable and the Cordillera TV Network.
OIC-Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Feliciano Agsaoay, Jr. said that if there will be inadequacies in the modules, parents and elders will be asked to help explain to the learners on top of close monitoring from teachers of the subject areas.
On how the learners will be assessed, Agsaoay informed that the DepEd national office still has to issue a grading system but that in the meantime, instead of numerical rating, adjectival description of the learners’ progress with the modules will only be given.
The activity sheets will be stored as basis for computation when and if a grading system will be issued.
Regarding the possibility that some parents will accomplish the activities in the modules for their children, Agsaoay commented that it is tantamount to cheating and that teachers who instances of it, will advise the erring parents accordingly.
Agsaoay said that depending on later feedback on this possible loophole of modular learning, the DepEd-Tabuk may issue a policy to prevent its occurrence. ** By Estanislao Albano, Jr.
