ERRORS IN MODULES. Undated photo shows self-learning modules produced by the Department of Education (DepEd) and distributed for the learners to study and answer. Depd-7 regional director Salustiano Jimenez on Tuesday (Oct. 13, 2020) said they established a hotline where parents and guardians can course through their concerns about the modules. (Photo from Nikki Arante's Facebook page)
CEBU CITY – The Department of Education (DepEd) in Region 7 (Central Visayas) has put up a hotline and messaging platform that can be used by parents and guardians who have concerns about the self-learning modules (SLM) distributed to the learners.
DepEd-7 regional director Salustiano Jimenez said in a press briefing on Tuesday parents and guardians should course through the issues and concerns on learners' modules to their regional office, division offices or the schools rather than posting them on social media.
“I keep on repeating the same message that if they find something in the modules, they can call our hotlines, they can go to our command centers, help desks in the region, division, or in the schools,” he said.
Jimenez said the modules for the first quarter of school-year 2020-2021 have passed through quality assurance by the teachers in the region who are “content experts”.
He said there are no modules circulating in the region that have originated from the central office of DepEd.
Jimenez was reacting to Facebook posts criticizing lessons reflected in the modules.
He, however, said his office or any of the 19 division offices in the region have not received complaints from parents or guardians on the supposed mistakes in the content of the modules they distributed to the children.
Meanwhile, Jimenez said the DepEd-7 has put in place contingency measures to ensure that modules will reach the learners in case of any eventuality such as calamities.
He urged parents in areas hit by heavy rains, flood or fire to report to the nearest education official so that problems on distribution of the modules could be addressed at once.
Cristito Eco, DepEd-7 assistant regional director, said the education department has allotted PH17 million as buffer fund for reproduction of materials in Central Visayas. This is on top of the PHP800 million downloaded to 19 divisions in the region for the production of SLMs.
As of Tuesday, Jimenez said they have recorded 1,800,883 pupils and students in public elementary to senior high schools in the region. This is 1.43 percent higher than the recorded enrollment in school year 2019-2020.
He said, however, 25 private schools in the region have decided not to open this school year and one school shut down permanently due to the coronavirus disease crisis. (PNA)
