“Secretary Briones is insisting that there should be an alternative there. And she has a very good program for that. Parang (It’s like) teleconferencing. The technology is good. I do not know if we are ready for that.”
President Rodrigo R. Duterte expressed his hesitations during his June 5 speech over the country’s capacity to enforce blended learning in the coming school year to allow students to continue their studies amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
After acknowledging that Education Secretary Leonor Briones has come up with a “very good” proposal, he seemed to be having second thoughts about its feasibility.
On May 28, Malacañang expressed confidence that the Department of Education (DepEd) is ready for the scheduled opening of classes on August 24, despite the threat posed by the Covid-19 outbreak.
DepEd has sought the shift to blended learning in the coming school year.
Blended learning is an approach that would allow learners to study through electronic and online media, as well as traditional face-to-face classes.
Duterte, however, acknowledged that the country lacks available resources for millions of learners.
“But if she (Briones) asks and we can afford it, we will buy it, and she can proceed with her novel idea of how children can continue with their education,” he said.
