MANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Leonor Briones said Tuesday that some P1.2 billion from the agency will be used to replace learning materials that were damaged from the recent typhoons that hit the country.
DepEd after the onslaught of Typhoon "Ulysses" (international name Vamco) said it has determined sources of funding for the effort as hard-hit areas temporarily call of their distance learning activities.
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"Magda-download tayo ng P1.2 billion para sa mga supplementary learning materials at palitan 'yung mga nasira," she said in a Palace briefing.
Ulysses' cost of damage had climbed to P13.04 billion by November 24 in both agriculture and infrastructure, leaving the entire Luzon under a state of calamity.
DepEd has yet to make public the extent of damage to schools and learning materials due to the said typhoon, the latest in the string of calamities to hit the country dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
In Super Typhoon Rolly (international name Goni) alone, some 226 public schools were reported to have sustained damage, including 7,169 learning resources and 194 computer sets.
DepEd early this month had said that it is leaving it up to its local offices to resolve problems in their areas.
But a suggestion by Briones — that schools could let materials dry out in the sun or even iron them — did not sit well with some.
Catching up and calls for academic ease
Ulysses' onslaught had left the local government of Marikina to call off classes for a month as rehabilitation efforts begin in the city.
This would mean that learners would resume classes by January 2021, as DepEd's holiday break schedule is set by December 19.
For this, the education chief said they could look into adjusting the academic calendar to allow Marikina students to catch up to the lessons.
"Tinitignan natin 'yung calendar of activities, ina-adjust 'yun. Alam niyo naman magde-debate ang parents, teachers kung mayroon ba Saturday [or] Sunday classes para maka-make up at makahabol ang mga bata," Briones said.
(We're looking at the calendar of activities if we could adjust it. For sure, there would be a debate among parents and teachers if there would be Saturday or Sunday classes for students to make up for the missed lessons.)
Briones added that they are in talks with student groups for the calls for an academic ease — or reducing the workload given in consideration of those in areas still reeling from the typhoons.
"Kami ay nakikipag-dialogue sa iba't ibang grupo ng mga estudyante na humihingi at nakikiusap ng academic ease na magiging reasonable [sa] paghirap ng mga estudyante at teachers, so adjustments will also be made along those lines," she said.
(We are holding a dialogue with different groups of teachers and students asking for an academic ease to be mindful of their situation, so adjustments will also be made along those lines.)
This is, of course, still different from the academic freeze which students are pushing for and which has since been rejected by government, following the move both by DepEd and the Commission on Higher Education.