CAMIGUIN (PIA)--The Department of Education (DepEd) Executive Committee (Execom) members initiated a discussion with the student-journalists of Camiguin during the EdukAksyon Press Conference, April 28, on their perspective on the blended learning modality implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We know that the inputs of our learners are significant to improve the education delivery in the country. We are very much aware that they are the ones experiencing our policies first-hand, together with our public school teachers,” Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said.

She added that the active participation of the youth in the policies of the education sector is an important aspect in making sure that DepEd is giving them the quality basic education. 

"We have to think about the future of our learners, and through this, we would know what they would need in the next few years,” she said.

Campus Journalists Marde Pacto and Christian Pantallano from Yumbing National High School, Mambajao, here, shared their experiences on the distance learning setup in the last two years.

“Based on my experience, the blended learning and face-to-face were quite different. It was different for me because it had been almost two years that there was no face to face classes. It’s like I’ve learned more [during the face to face] than what I’ve actually learned from the modular learning,” Pacto said.

Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Lawyer Nepomuceno Malaluan and the said learner also discussed the in-person classes currently being implemented in School Year 2021-2022 by the department nationwide.

Aside from the challenges he faced during the pandemic, Pantallano also provided suggestions to the department on improving the implementation of face to face classes from hereon.

“Ang suhestyon ko sa DepEd para mapabuti ang paghahatid ng edukasyon sa pangkalahatan para sa face-to-face classes ay mas paglaanan ng guro ang mga estudyante ng mas mahabang oras upang maturuan kami ng mga leksiyon,” Pantallano said.

(My suggestion for DepEd to improve the quality of education on face-to-face classes is for the teachers to provide ample time to teach us in our lessons) 

As part of the DepEd’s policy making, Malaluan also noted that the department is aware of the existing challenges the learners have faced during the Basic Education – Learning Continuity Plan implementation.

“We also asked some questions to the campus journalists in CAR [Cordillera Administrative Region], at may pagkakapareho ‘yong mga nabanggit nila na naging challenging sa kanila ‘yong (and they have similar comment on the challenge on) distance learning in terms of time management,” Undersecretary Malaluan said.

Malaluan added that a lot of adjustments have to be made for independent learners and some suggested removing social media applications to focus on their studies. 

Aside from the blended learning and face to face classes discussion, the student-journalists from the DepEd Northern Mindanao also asked the Execom members about the department’s initiatives and education issues addressed by the current administration. (DepEd/PIA-10/Camiguin)