THE DEPARMENT of Education recently held a discussion with student-journalists from Camiguin province to get their insights on the implementation of blended learning.

“We know that the inputs of our learners are significant to improve the education delivery in the country. We are very much aware that they are the ones experiencing our policies first-hand, together with our public-school teachers,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said.

“The active participation of the youth in the policies of the education sector is an important aspect in making sure that we are giving them the quality basic education. We have to think about the future of our learners, and through this, we would know what they would need in the next few years,” the DepEd chief added.

Campus journalists Marde Pacto and Christian Pantallano of Yumbing National High School in Mambajao, Camiguin shared their experiences on the distance learning setup.

Pacto said that she learned more during in-person classes. Pantallano said that teachers should spend more time with students.

“Ang suhestiyon ko sa DepEd para mapabuti ang paghahatid ng edukasyon sa pangkalahatan para sa face-to-face classes ay mas paglaanan ng guro ang mga estudyante ng mas mahabang oras upang maturuan kami ng mga leksiyon,” Pantallano said.

Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Atty. Nepomuceno Malaluan said that the Department is aware of the challenges the learners faced during the Basic Education – Learning Continuity plan implementation.

“We also asked some questions to the campus journalists in CAR [Cordillera Administrative Region], at may pagkakapareho ‘yong mga nabanggit nila na naging challenging sa kanila [‘yong distance learning] which is the time management,” Malaluan said.

“Kanina, nabanggit din no’ng mga bata na kapag independent learning ay malaki ‘yong adjustments. Kailangan niyang i-address ‘yong procrastination niya, and ‘yong isa, ang naging solution niya ay kailangan niyang tanggalin ‘yong mga apps for social media,” he added.