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WITH President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to postpone face-to-face class drills this January due to the emergence of a new strain of Covid-19, the Philippines may be facing a “learning crisis” that will force the government to “exhaust all resources and implement measures to help students catch up, ”warned a legislator Saturday.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, in a statement, said the drills, even on a limited scale, especially in low-risk areas, would have addressed some distance education challenges.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture said that when implementing remedial programs, there is a need to assess learning gaps, especially among vulnerable students.
Gatchalian said that in the 2021 national budget, P16.6 billion was allocated for “flexible learning options” under scheduled allocations from the Department of Education (DepEd). An additional 6,000 million pesos were allocated for flexible learning options within the framework of unscheduled credits.
The senator said that the absence of face-to-face classes implies the continued use of alternative modalities for the delivery of learning, such as self-study modules, radio and television-based lessons to support teachers and students in the middle of the distance learning configuration.
Gatchalian also mentioned the role of ALS or the Alternative Learning System, especially in reaching an estimated 2.3 million K-12 students who were unable to enroll due to the pandemic. A special provision in the 2021 national budget allocates an amount of at least P559 million for the program.
The legislator reiterated that before the pandemic hit the country, the international assessments 2018 Program for International Student Assessment, the primary learning metrics of Southeast Asia 2019 and the study Trends in International Mathematics and Science 2019 consistently showed that students from K to 12 of the country are failing. to master the core skills and lag behind their peers around the world.
As part of long-term recovery efforts, Gatchalian emphasized the need for reforms in teacher education and training to improve student outcomes. Senate Bill (SB) 1887 or the “Council of Teacher Education Act,” which Gatchalian also introduced, seeks to improve coordination between the DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), and the Professional Regulation Commission for improve the education and training of teachers in the country.
Lapid invoice
Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid introduced SB 1939 or an Act that establishes the University Living Expenses Financing (CLEF) program, to support higher education for Filipino students with good academic standing.
Lapid said that although the Law of the Republic 10687, also known as the “Law of universal access to quality tertiary education”, provides for free tuition and exemption from other fees for students of state universities, “its scope it’s still limited. “
Lapid said that his bill seeks “to cover other expenses that come with studies, such as food and lodging, pocket money, transportation costs, food expenses, uniforms and personal clothing, books and supplies and other miscellaneous expenses.”
Lapid said the CLEF program “will be made available to all Filipino students who are currently enrolled at the time of the Act, or admitted to enroll at any time thereafter, in courses leading to a bachelor’s degree in any institution of higher education “. accredited by CHEd “.
It is a “long-term personal loan program designed to cover the living expenses of Filipino university students that will cover, but will not be limited to: food and lodging; subsistence allowance; transportation costs; Food expenses; uniforms and personal clothing; books and materials; internet and digital connectivity expenses; and other miscellaneous expenses ”.
“The loan will be provided and disbursed through the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines,” according to Lapid’s bill.
The bill also entitles each eligible student to “a maximum loan amount of P50,000 per semester or enrollment and a maximum of P400,000 that allows up to five (5) years of college enrollment, payable up to 25 years and with an interest rate lower than the current interest rate subject to the discretion of the financial institutions that make the disbursement, and a grace period in payments of principal and interest so that the amortizations begin one year after the graduation date or at the end of the last semester of enrollment, whichever occurs later. “
The CLEF program will be “jointly administered by CHEd, which will process and endorse the loan application requirements of eligible students, and the disbursing financial institutions, which will release the amounts based on an approved disbursement schedule agreed with the student,” from according to the account.
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