SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, is eyeing an inquiry on the content of lessons to be used for distance learning after the Department of Education TV drew flak for grammatical and typographical errors on some of its episodes.

DepEd started the test broadcast of TV episodes on state-run Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation and Solar Learning.

Photos of a Grade 8 lesson, however, went viral as netizens slammed what some described as ‘painful’ errors in the lesson.

While DepEd already acknowledged the errors and vowed to make improvements on its TV broadcast content, Gatchalian emphasized that quality control should not be compromised amid the rush to make learning resources available when classes open.

“We’ll probably have another hearing on the content aspect of distance learning because quality control is very important,” said Gatchalian.

“Sa pagpapatuloy ng edukasyon ngayong panahon ng krisis, hindi lang ang pag-abot sa ating mga mag-aaral ang dapat nating pinag-uusapan. Mahalagang tutukan natin kung paano masisigurong dekalidad ang edukasyon na natatanggap nila kahit na sila ay nasa mga tahanan nila,” he added.

Gatchalian reiterated that the reach of television makes it a viable tool for distance learning, especially for those who have no available internet connectivity.

According to Dataxis, a global firm specializing in telecom and media business, 18.7 million Filipino households have television in 2019, a number that is expected to increase to 20.7 million by 2024.

The lawmaker added that since not all parents can teach their children at home because some of them have not completed schooling, teachers can guide learners through recorded lessons for television and parents, on the other hand, can ensure that their children are focused on studying.