DepEd rejects calls to suspend Catch Up Fridays, vows improvements

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education wants to continue the implementation of Catch Up Fridays despite appeals from teacher groups to halt the program, saying that there is still ample time for the program to improve since it was rolled out only three months ago.

DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas said that the department will instead “strengthen” the implementation of Catch Up Fridays but also acknowledged that adjustments “definitely” have to be made.

“We have feedback coming from the field. That’s what we will address to improve the implementation of Catch Up Fridays,” Bringas said in an interview with Unang Balita on Wednesday.

Last week, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) urged DepEd to suspend the implementation of Catch Up Fridays due to a lack of reading materials for teachers to carry out the weekly reading intervention program, leading to its uneven implementation in schools. 

In schools with insufficient reading resources, some school personnel have reportedly required parents to purchase reading materials from them, while other teachers shoulder the cost of photocopying materials themselves, according to the two teacher groups. 

Both groups also said that they have received reports from teachers that there is an increase in student absenteeism and tardiness during Fridays, “posing challenges for teachers in achieving the objectives of Catch-Up Friday.”

RELATED: DepEd urged to stop Catch Up Fridays after teachers flag drop in student attendance 

Bringas said that DepEd will more strongly enforce the provision in DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2024 — the implementing order of Catch Up Fridays — that states learners can have several options in terms of reading materials “to avoid placing an additional cost on students, teachers and even parents.”

Launched by DepEd in January, Catch Up Fridays is a weekly learning intervention program that requires schools to dedicate half of the day to reading activities and the other half to values, health and peace education.

The reading intervention program focuses on both non-readers and students who can read through a teaching strategy called "differentiated instruction." This method tailors lessons to students' specific needs and interests to cover a wide range of learners. 

However, the initial assessment of the program by EDCOM 2 revealed that teachers are struggling to implement differentiated instruction due to a lack of training.