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Friday, March 29, 2024

STI bolsters DepEd’s learning continuity plan

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Over 28 million learners in the Philippines have been affected by school closures and community quarantine in an effort to contain the novel cornavirus disease, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

STI bolsters DepEd’s learning continuity plan

As learning institutions face unprecedented challenges, the Department of Education has sought the assistance of private institutions for its Learning Continuity Plan.

STI Education Services Group, Inc. (STI ESG) responded to the call by signing a Memorandum of Agreement with DepEd to strengthen the latter’s Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP), a package of academic interventions that will respond to the difficulties brought about by COVID-19.   

“This collaboration allows us to capacitate both learners and teachers of DepEd by providing the necessary resources, tools, and technology which is also part of fulfilling our duty to make education more accessible particularly in these trying times,” said Aisa Hipolito, STI ESG VP for Academics.

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Through the LCP, adjustments will be made in the basic education curriculum, including key features of the K-12 program, alignment and delivery of learning materials, implementation of various teaching modalities, and corresponding training for teachers and parents for distance learning.

DepEd said the LCP is its major response and commitment in ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of learners, teachers, and personnel while finding ways for education to continue amid the health crisis.

Under the partnership, STI will provide DepEd, particularly in the implementation of the BE-LCP, various forms of support for free, including rendition of technical assistance, transportation service, and use of STI facilities nationwide to name a few.

To help DepEd and their teachers address problems arising from the shift to distance learning, STI will make available its NEO Learning Management System (LMS).

STI bolsters DepEd’s learning continuity plan

Hipolito said STI has been able to implement a blended learning mode through its NEO LMS for five years now.

Thus, when the pandemic brought forth school closures, STI amplified its educational framework built on existing e-learning methods, while taking into consideration the students’ current learning needs,

STI will also train public school teachers who will use the LMS to make the transition of the modality smoothly and maximize the features and efficiency of the system.

In addition, STI will assist DepEd in the digitization or conversion of learning contents into digital format, including giving DepEd access to STI’s computer laboratories across the country, which can be used to convert materials into appropriate formats as well as to receive online materials especially for public school teachers in localities where computer facilities are not readily available. 

As part of the agreement, DepEd has already started the production of its learning contents to be televised or aired over radio using STI’s audio-visual facilities.

This is especially relevant since only 17% of Filipino students have internet access at home, and only about 5% of students have stable internet access to keep up with online learning activities.

It is for this reason that education officials are tapping into television and radio as additional means to deliver lessons especially in far-flung communities.

In the 2019 study conducted by global data firm Dataxis, about 18.7 million households in the Philippines still watch television while global media intelligence firm Kantar Media’s 2019 Media Trends Study also showed that up to 52% of Filipinos still own a radio.

STI bolsters DepEd’s learning continuity plan

STI is also open to DepEd for additional partnerships, including training of teachers for online education wherein they can earn credits for Masters or Doctoral degree. Should the teachers opt to continue their studies and secure a masteral or doctoral degree, STI shall recognize the credits earned during training and assist the teachers in its online graduate school program through STI West Negros University in Bacolod.

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