THE DEPARTMENT of Education is aiming to develop a policy on the learning environment post-Covid19 in recognizing the difficulties caused by the pandemic.

The agency said the post-pandemic policy will highlight new standards in the organization of class in the country and it includes class programs, time, allotment, pupil ratio, learning resources, learners’ support for instruction management, and mental health services.

“We are trying to learn more things, more information about this going back to school,” DepEd Assistant Secretary for the National Academy of Sports and Field Operations Malcolm Garma.

“We would like to see what are the value-added of going back to school for our children, especially the smaller ones as they were at home already for the past years and we want to see that they learn better if they go back to school,” he added.

Meanwhile, Educ Forum partners from the United States Agency for International Development noted some crucial points in the success of opening schools in different countries.

These include social distancing, wearing of masks, investment in WASH facilities, disinfection, sanitation, vaccination of teachers and parents, random and regular testing, having smaller class sizes and groups, utilizing technology, focusing on marginalized and advantaged learners and families, and continued support and services for learners.

Jessica Sutter of the District of Columbia State Board Education underscored the need to utilize different channels of communication in the campaigns, given that information changes at a very rapid rate.

On the other hand, Dr. Natasha Yvette Ridge of Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research in UAE emphasized that training, supporting, and investing in teachers is a critical path out of the pandemic.

Moreover, Dr. Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, Director of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, recommended the following agenda for basic education — support for teachers and learners, Covid19 prevention, monitoring guidelines, addressing learning gaps, and recovery fund.

“We must deepen resilience in education system to respond to the challenges brought by the pandemic. We must foster an educational environment that continues to address the needs of marginalized and most vulnerable members of the Southeast Asian education system,” Dr. Pascua-Valenzuela stressed.