Gatchalian committee to look into DepEd’s preparedness for school opening

Is the Department of Education ready for a prolonged distance learning scenario?

With less than a month to go, Senator Win Gatchalian said the Senate basic education committee will have a thorough assessment of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) readiness for the opening of school year 2021-2022.

The lawmaker issued the statement after the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged deficiencies worth P8.136 billion for the implementation of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP).

Among the deficiencies flagged by state auditors are lapses in the budget utilization, non or incomplete submission of the required documents, and other deficiencies in disbursements and procurements, among others.

Gatchalian filed Senate Resolution 739 to assess if basic education institutions can deliver quality education for the next school year, whether through face-to-face classes, distance learning, or other alternative delivery modes.

“Ngayong pinaghahandaan natin ang pagbubukas ng panibagong school year, nais nating matiyak na handa ang DepEd na makapaghatid ng dekalidad na edukasyon habang nagpapatuloy ang pandemya,” the chair of the Senate basic education panel said.

“Dapat ay natuto na tayo mula sa karanasan natin ng nakaraang taon upang maiwasan ang mga naging problema sa pagpapatupad ng distance learning,” said Gatchalian.

COA also flagged the flawed, incomplete, and delayed procurement, reproduction, and delivery of self-learning modules (SLMs), considered as the backbone of distance learning.

The delays were attributed to factors such as deficient planning, poor monitoring of deliveries, and suppliers’ failure to complete the requirements on time.

State auditors added that the non-availability of the modules on the period in which it is supposed to be used deprived learners of better learning opportunities and hampered the continuity of the learning process.

The COA report added that five regional offices were not able to fully adhere to prescribed specifications for the SLMs, which resulted in poor printing quality.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)