Published by: Louise Tupaz
Date published: May 6, 2024
Time published: 3:50 PM
Ever since, one of the major problems that the Department of Education (DepEd) faces is student's inability to read and write. Even before, this has been the main concern, which is why the ‘‘Catch-up Fridays’’ program is being implemented. The goal of this program is to address the learning gaps among students and improve their social and other relevant skills. The question is, can all teachers catch up with the implemented program?
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte launched a program to catch up with the student's reading skills and enhance their academic performance. This will be done by teachers every Friday throughout the school year. However, DepEd received complaints from a group of teachers, prompting it to halt the program's implementation. Their complaints center on the lack of reading materials and resources, resulting in uneven implementation in schools [1].
Due to the lack of books or materials from DepEd, some teachers spend money on photocopying reading materials. Even though DepEd clearly stated “no out-of-pocket expenses,” teachers are still required to provide their own learning resources. With this, teachers will bear the brunt of additional workload. They are obligated to teach new subjects rather than the usual ones. In order to keep students engaged in their non-graded activities and to prevent absenteeism, teachers must also cover expenses for materials and allocate budgets for prizes.
In relation to this, students have been reported to be skipping school on Fridays, particularly those who do not see the value of participating in the program due to the lack of engagement and inadequate resources [2].
This only serves to highlight the fact that the implementation of this program will fail if teachers will continue to receive inadequate resources and support. In addition to support, teachers should be provided with the necessary tools, free access to reading materials and encouragement—since completing the task without these will only make it more difficult for them. If DepEd really wants the program to succeed, they should give their full support, meet the needs of every teacher, and prioritize them rather than giving them overloaded work. DepEd should prepare not only the teachers, but also the students. To reciprocate their hard work, it would mean so much to them if students simply followed and cooperated in every activity. All individuals should appreciate their dedication and effort. Let's not just watch teachers struggle—let's empathize with them, provide necessary tools, offer them our full support and show our willingness to learn. Through this, we can make teachers catch up with “Catch-up-Fridays”.
REFERENCES
[1] Chi, C. (2024, March 13). DepEd rejects calls to suspend Catch Up Fridays, vows improvements. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/03/13/2340261/deped-rejects-calls-suspend-catch-fridays-vows-improvements
[2] Chi, C. (2024a, March 8). DepEd urged to stop Catch Up Fridays after teachers flag drop in student attendance. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/03/07/2338791/deped-urged-stop-catch-fridays-after-teachers-flag-drop-student-attendance
No comments:
Post a Comment