READING TIME. Students participate in the Catch-Up Friday kick-off activity at Aurora Quezon Elementary School in Manila on Jan. 12, 2024. The Department of Education (DepEd) said it will provide interventions to improve the quality of the program nationwide. (PNA file photo of Yancy Lim)
MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd) assured Thursday it would provide more interventions for teachers and learners who encounter challenges in the implementation of 'Catch-up Fridays'.
In a television interview, Education Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas said the agency is in the process of collating feedback on the ground.
This is in response to calls to halt the program which is in its third month of implementation.
Among the cited challenges are related to learners' materials, scheduling, time allotment, and proper categorizing of learners based on their abilities.
"Iyan iyong ginagawan ngayon ng ating Bureau of Learning Development ng kanilang proper intervention lalung-lalo na sa pagkakaroon ng structured na klase, or structured na pag-implement ng mga reading activities (Our Bureau of Learning Development is preparing proper interventions for these [concerns], especially in having a structured class or structured implementation of reading activities)," he said.
Bringas also responded to claims that the program is causing "tardiness" in some learners, saying it is just a matter of providing them with a wider selection of reading materials.
"While it is Catch-up Fridays, a non-graded activity, gusto nating i-inculcate iyong (what we want to inculcate is the) culture of reading in the schools," he added.
Bringas, likewise, reiterated that these materials must not cause additional cost to teachers, parents, or learners, given the available resources that can be utilized in schools.
The DepEd started 'Catch-up Fridays' on Jan. 12, aimed at empowering learners' capacity in reading, writing, critical thinking, and analysis, among others.
Teachers' benefits
Bringas, meanwhile, said the DepEd plans to lobby a fund for additional benefits for teachers.
He said they will include these proposals in the upcoming budget deliberation.
"Sinisigurado namin na ipo-propose pa rin namin sa aming bagong budget ang pagkakaroon ng overload at (We are pushing to include in the new budget proposal the overload and) overtime pay for teachers subject to guidelines," he said.
Besides pushing for additional benefits, Bringas also vowed to improve deployment and the workload of teachers.
The DepEd earlier opened non-teaching positions to reduce the administrative load of teachers so they could focus on their actual classroom functions.
Amid these challenges, Bringas admitted that there has been a decline in teachers' population.
"Over the past two years, naka-observe na talaga tayo ng maraming mga guro, in all the regions, na nag-a-abroad (we have observed that many teachers, in all the regions, are going abroad). They are availing of the exchange course program," he said.
To date, the DepEd recorded an over 55,000 shortage of teachers for the academic year 2023-2024 enrollment.
Bringas, however, assured that more applicants are still coming to public schools.
"Hindi pa rin naman tayo nauubusan ng supply natin for teacher applicants, kaya mayroon naman tayong replacement sa kanila agad (We are not running out of supply for teachers applicants, that's why we have an immediate replacement)," he said. (PNA)
