THE PHILIPPINE Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) and the Department of Education (DepEd) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to provide continued learning opportunities for children undergoing prolonged medical treatment.

The agreement, signed on Monday, formalizes a partnership that will allow eligible PCMC patients to continue their education through DepEd’s Alternative Learning System (ALS) while hospitalized or unable to attend regular classes due to their medical conditions.

“Going to school may not always be possible for patients with chronic health conditions, but learning does not have to stop,” PCMC Executive Director Dr. Cecilia O. Gan said.

Gan said the partnership marks the country’s first hospital-based learning continuity program, aimed at ensuring that eligible patients have access to education while receiving medical care.

Under the agreement, the ALS program will cover the Basic Literacy Program, Accreditation and Equivalency for elementary and junior high school, regular junior high school, and regular senior high school, in accordance with relevant DepEd policies and guidelines.

Learning activities will be adjusted to each child’s health condition and treatment schedule. Instead of requiring children to leave the hospital to attend classes, lessons will be delivered through modular learning, bedside instruction, small-group sessions, and blended or online learning modalities.

The program will involve Pinyahan Elementary School, Flora A. Ylagan High School, and San Francisco High School, which will facilitate the transfer of learner documents and coordinate with PCMC and the DepEd Schools Division Office of Quezon City on program implementation.