Education Dep’t warns against outdated books as PH students dive into blended learning

The Department of Education (DepEd) today warned the public against the use of outdated books and unaccredited online learning materials, as the Philippines prepares to dive into the new school year through the use of various media, or what it calls “blended learning.”

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in the government’s Laging Handa (“Always Ready”) virtual presser that some companies have been distributing online resources that have not been approved by the DepEd.

Read: Student boredom, longer hours online to test Pinoy teachers this school year

Briones said that the circulation of these materials is worrying.

“One, we have a basic curriculum that gauges the corresponding learning competencies of students. Second, they could be making money at the expense of the public and the DepEd. We don’t even know if they paid taxes or not, but most important is the content…it does a lot of harm if the material is unaccredited,” she said.

She cited an example of an unaccredited textbook that bore the DepEd seal, which misidentified the Banaue Rice Terraces as “Banana Rice Terraces.”

Read: Lonely Planet catches ire of Filipino netizens for video saying Chinese built Banaue Rice Terraces 

Besides that, Briones said that there are books that “are being used that have been out of circulation for years. Schools are still using them, but it is really against the law and we are taking appropriate action on that.”

Meanwhile, she said that according to President Rodrigo Duterte, classes in public schools will resume in  August, while private schools have the option of reopening a month after. This is because the president has ordered the postponement of “face-to-face” classes until a vaccine for COVID-19 becomes available.

“I want to repeat because there are different debates on social media. [The] opening of classes will resume [on] August 24, 2020. But private schools will have leeway until September,” the secretary said.

Schools will also have to adjust according to each of their unique challenges.

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