September 1, 2020 – Being assessed as advanced in its preparation for School Year 2020-2021, the Department of Education-National Capital Region (DepEd-NCR) will continue to roll out their initiatives on September to further prepare public schools in Metro Manila.

During the Handang Isip, Handa Bukas Press Conference, DepEd NCR Director Malcolm Garma reported that 14 out of 16 Schools Division Offices (SDOs) have already finished their respective simulation of the delivery of modules and conduct of classes.

In addition, eight SDOs in the region were at 80%-100% in terms of production and printing of self-learning modules (SLMs) , while four SDOs were at 50%-70% and the other four were on the catching-up stage.

“1:1 ang distribusyon ng learner package, o bawat isang estudyante ay makatatanggap ng isang learner package, sa tulong na rin ng mga LGU sa NCR. Magsisimula ang pamamahagi simula Setyembre 1 hanggang Setyembre 15,” Regional Director Garma said.

The distribution mode will be adjusted accordingly to possible changes in the community quarantine scenarios of each city.

Meanwhile, 15 out of 16 SDOs have conducted division-level training for teachers. Training has been done virtually in partnership with Thames International and the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP).

Deped-NCR has also designed a Regional Readiness Matrix that would guide SDOs in strategizing class organization and scheduling, establishing teacher workload, finalizing learning and teaching platforms, and distribution and usage of all learner materials.

“We take into consideration the school context and the learners’ context. The school context is about the health status of teachers, the readiness of principals and supervisors to manage multiple learning delivery modalities, the availability of learning resources and materials, and teachers’ readiness and external partnership initiatives to facilitate multiple learning modalities,” emphasizes RD Garma.

Health guidelines and protocols for SDOs and schools have also been issued and reiterated to ensure the safety and welfare of DepEd-NCR skeleton workforce.

Meanwhile, schools in NCR are set to conduct orientation activities before the opening of classes, which will include parents’ involvement in home-based learning, and proposed conduct of classes when school opens.

“Marami pong challenges pero alam namin na dahil tulong-tulong at kami man dito sa SDO ay nagbabayanihan para sa pagbubukas ng SY 2020-2021, alam namin na kami ay handang handa na para sa lahat ng mag-aaral sa lungsod ng Caloocan,” Caloocan Schools Division Office Schools Division Superintendent Nerissa L. Losaria said.

END