DepEd allows schools with unfinished repairs from Typhoon Egay to implement blended learning
MANILA, Philippines — Schools damaged during the onslaught of Typhoon Egay that have yet to complete their repairs before the start of classes can implement blended learning, Vice President Sara Duterte said Monday.
The Department of Education chief said there will be no disruption to learning even if there are problems with facilities.
"The Department of Education's direction no longer includes learning disruption. It's always either blended learning or in-person classes. Education will continue uninterrupted even if there are classroom issues,” Duterte said in Filipino after participating in the first day of Brigada Eskwela at a high school in Manila.
Duterte added that schools damaged by Typhoon Egay will be prioritized in the budget for school building repairs this year.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., who was also at the event, said that this is the government’s “temporary solution” if facilities remain unusable.
"When the typhoon hit, we were thinking about what we could do in a month. So far, we are doing everything within our capabilities together with the Local Government Units to fix what was damaged. The school building program continues, but our weather is a significant hindrance,” Marcos said in Filipino.
Marcos previously ordered an inventory of all damaged school facilities from Typhoon Egay before the opening of classes for public schools on August 29.
According to DepEd's latest data on August 14, at least 479 schools across nine regions (CAR, NCR, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Region 5, Region 8) sustained damages due to the southwest monsoon enhanced by tropical cyclones Egay and Falcon.
The estimated cost of repair of the damaged schools amounts to at least P1.77 billion, according to DepEd's latest data on August 14.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers earlier called on the government to finish the repair of typhoon-damaged school facilities last week to ensure that students and teachers will be able to use these by the start of classes.
DepEd is currently working toward the institutionalization of its blended learning policy wherein schools will officially be allowed to temporarily shift to online and/or modular learning if needed.
RELATED: DepEd says blended learning to be institutionalized
Its move to make blended learning a permanent option is also in response to the shortage of classrooms and teachers in public schools, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said in a July 11 press briefing.
Marcos vowed in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) that the government would ensure schools and facilities are retrofitted to be "climate-ready" and "disaster-proof."
A climate-ready and disaster-proof school refers to a "safe, resilient, learning-conducive, inclusive and green school infrastructure" that protects students and education personnel from disasters and climate risks, according to Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 19 s. 2023.
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