NOT FOR SALE | DepEd reminds materials for ‘Catch-Up Fridays’ are free

March 1, 2024 , 03:08 PM

By Beatrice Puente

(March 1, 2024) – Upon receiving complaints, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday said it is looking into the alleged sale of workbooks for a program that seeks to address learning gaps among students.

In a statement, the DepEd said administrative sanctions will be imposed against personnel found guilty of involvement in the illegal act, stressing that workbooks for “Catch-Up Fridays” are free.

“Catch-Up Fridays and other school activities must not involve out-of-pocket costs. Parents and learners are reminded not to accommodate and patronize such unauthorized transactions,” said the DepEd.

It stressed that it won’t tolerate any prohibited act.

“The public is encouraged to report similar incidents directly to the Office of the Secretary,” added the DepEd, which is headed by Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Last January, the DepEd launched “Catch-Up Fridays” to “strengthen the foundational, social, and other relevant skills necessary to actualize the intent of the basic education curriculum” among elementary and high school students. It covers reading, values, peace, and health education.

Based on an enclosure to DepEd Memorandum No. 1, the first half of the day will be dedicated to the National Reading Program while the latter will be shared between the three other focus subjects of the program. The total time will be four hours and 40 minutes.

The results of the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed that the Philippines still scored low in reading, mathematics, and science, as it only ranked 77th out of 81 countries. The study covered 15-year-old students.

In terms of reading literacy, the Philippines recorded a slight increase from 340 points in 2018 to 347 points in 2022. However, this was still way below the average of 476 points.

The DepEd acknowledged that the poor ranking was indeed a “wake-up call” to improve the country’s faltering education system, which has been hounded by similar problems throughout the years, including inadequate classrooms, error-riddled materials, and overworked teachers.

“The PISA results may bear uncomfortable truth. It has shown that a significant majority of our boys and girls fall below the proficiency level required for full participation in society and contributing to nation-building,” said Duterte-Carpio last year.

Progressive groups have repeatedly stressed the need for the government to strengthen its efforts to address the learning gap of students, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DepEd implemented the National Learning Camp last year to address the learning losses because of the health crisis. This was conducted during the school break.

President Bongbong Marcos Jr. highlighted the need to improve the low international assessment ranking of the Philippines. He also ordered the DepEd to look into “teacher support and teacher quality” as well as the bullying in schools because these factors affect the learning ability of students.

(PM)

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