MANILA, Philippines — The education department on Tuesday said one of its modules that contained erroneous information on indigenous groups was "mistakenly reproduced in good faith," adding that they do not condone discrimination.
DepEd recently came under fire for a wrong portrayal of Igorots in its learning materials in Nueva Vizcaya. Under the distance learning setup, some lessons are delivered through printed-out modules.
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In a statement, the agency said an internal probe on the resource in question showed that it was still under quality assurance check but had slipped through production by some school staff.
"We would like to emphasize though that this erroneous document was not distributed to learners since the field offices concerned, upon learning about the incident, immediately withdrew the said document from circulation," education officials said.
Such had led House members from the Cordilleras to file a resolution condemning the incident, saying the "portrayals and descriptions of the Igorots have immeasurably alarmed, offended and annoyed people" in their region.
They also called on DepEd for a thorough review on the learning materials it produces, a plea shared too by Senate Education Committee Chairman Sherwin Gatchalian, who said the agency "has found itself in a cycle of printing and distributing erroneous modules that end up drawing criticisms and being recalled."
DepEd in October 2020 launched its error watch initiative for the public to forward mistakes they spot on its resources, as officials admit that they were still adjusting to the new learning setup as a result of the pandemic.
Notably, there were materials that contained information discouraging students to participate in rallies, which the human rights commission had scored, as well as modules containing gender stereotypes which an education official later on conceded as should not be taught to students.
"Our journey to ensure that our education promotes equality and respect for each other still has a long way to go and the department is committed to do its part to eliminate discriminatory practices in schools and offices," the agency said. "Mechanisms are in place in the department to police such acts."
Officials have so far not given figures as to many incidents of such kind had been reported in its initiative, four months into the present school year.
But those who would have something to report could reach them through the following:
- Email: errorwatch@deped.gov.ph
- Text or Viber message: 0961-6805334
- Facebook Messenger: DepEd Error Watch (@depederrorwatch)
- Workplace Chat: DepEd Error Watch (deped.workplace.com/groups/616392985671470/).