The local government in Pigcawayan is set to launch the Barangay Basic Digital Literacy Program to address the learning needs of students that are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The programme will be made available for the first 30 interested applicants, regardless of age, per barangay, an official media report has noted.
The basics of Microsoft Office tools such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will be made available to the participants. This will run for two months in pilot barangays, which include Malu-ao, South Manuangan, Poblacion 3, Poblacion2, and Bulucaon.
They will be taught by the Technology for Education, to gain Employment, train Entrepreneurs towards Economic Development (Tech4ED) staff for three hours every day from Monday to Friday.
Upon completion, they will receive a certificate from the local government units (LGU).
Keeping in mind the ‘new normal’ put in place by the pandemic, Mayor Jean Dino Roquero noted that the programme will be a viable access point for online-based learning since most academic activities have now moved to the online realm.
To ensure the adequate implementation of this programme, the Mayor urged the officials of the Local Youth Development Council (LYDC) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) to participate and facilitate the programme in their respective barangays.
Other parts of the country are also moving towards online educational platforms.
The Department of Education (DepED) Secretary, Leonor M. Briones, announced its aim to ensure the continuation of children’s learning and education as they adopt the new normal brought about by the global health crisis. This will be ensured by adopting blended learning.
According to a press release, blended learning is the adoption of a combination of learning tools and practices such as online and offline tools, modules as well as television, radio, and the current digital platform known as DepEd Commons.
The radio, television, modular, and online learning are currently being updated and under the process of preparation for this year. Education experts and the private sector are also being collaborated with to take the necessary steps for the development, acquisition, and deployment of the learning resources.
The DepEd Secretary announced a total of 6.4 million people have already enrolled online. In Region 3, 1.2 million have enrolled themselves. While in NCR, the worst hit by the COVID-19 crisis, they have observed 895,406 enrollees, which has exceeded their expectations.
A month-long remote enrolment process has been undertaken through online applications, phone calls or text messaging to ensure minimum physical contact, the release said.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is offering free online courses for students and displaced workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as OpenGov reported earlier.
The free online programme is an educational platform which students and displaced workers may enrol in while still on quarantine.
There are 68 online programmes under various categories such as agriculture, automotive, electrical and electronics, massage therapy, entrepreneurship, information and communication technology, tourism, bread and pastry production, preparation and cooking of meals, and housekeeping, among others.
Modules will be provided in the online training programme, which started at the beginning of the month. The online training programme can be accessed on the agency website.