Required Health Standards
In accordance with the DOH
Guidelines on the Risk-Based Public Health Standards for COVID-19 Mitigation
(DOH AO No. 2020-0015), DepEd will issue guidelines on its Required Health
Standards for the adoption and guidance of all public and private schools and
DepEd offices. This will cover the four COVID-19 mitigation objectives
identified by the DOH, namely:
1. Increase
physical and mental resilience
2. Reduce
transmission
3. Reduce
contact
4. Reduce duration of infection
Additional references also guide the development of the DepEd required health standards, such as:
· Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Interim Guidance for Administrators of US K-12 Schools and Child Care Programs to Plan, Prepare, and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (2020)11, which provides recommendations for a holistic approach to required health standards. A holistic approach should include a communication strategy, community engagement, and health protocols that should be adopted by schools. It also details actions to be taken in situations where there is community transmission, among others.
· United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International Institute for Educational Planning (IEP): Plan for school reopening (2020) highlights the need for communities to trust in the health and safety measures which shall guarantee the well-being of the learners, teachers, and staff in schools. Infrastructure, finance, and human resources all play a role in ensuring the implementation of necessary safety protocols.
· Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Health Security, Public Health Principles for a Phased Reopening During COVID-19: Guidance for Governors (2020)12 provides a breakdown of risks involved in various settings, including schools.
·
UNESCO/UNICEF/World Bank/World Food Programme:
Framework for Reopening Schools (2020) highlights six strategies in
operationalizing the opening of schools. The framework reiterates that policy
and financing serve as support to safe operations, learning especially among
the most marginalized, and well-being and protection. In this case, the
required health standards are created to promote the well-being and protection
of DepEd learners, teachers, and staff.
Increase physical and mental resilience. According to UNESCO, COVID-19 has not only disrupted essential school-based services but has also been a source of stress and anxiety to learners due to loss of peer interaction and disrupted routines. It is essential to re-establish the regular and safe delivery of services such as school feeding, mental health, and psychosocial support in the coming school year.
As an intervention for increasing the physical resilience of learners, the Department intends to strengthen its implementation of the School Based Feeding Program to severely wasted and wasted learners, as well as of DepEd Order (DO) No. 13, s. 2017 (Policy and Guidelines on Healthy Food and Beverage Choices in Schools and in DepEd Offices). In order to ensure adequate nutrition and diets in the time of COVID-19, schools and offices are to provide advocacy and instruction on health education and nutrition.
The DepEd required health standards shall put strong emphasis on the need to protect and promote the mental health and general welfare of all learners and DepEd personnel across all risk severity gradings. Mental health interventions that increase resilience include mental health and psychosocial support, such as psychological first aid (PFA), in- house counseling sessions, online counseling, and support groups. Learners in particular shall be given PFA within the first month of the resumption of classes.
Reduce
transmission. Given that the virus has not yet been fully contained,
DepEd shall ensure that its facilities are ready to receive students and
personnel, and that they follow stringent social distancing measures as well as
strengthen programs promoting hygiene. Compliance to the standards set in DO
No. 10, s. 2016 titled Policy and Guidelines for the Comprehensive Water,
Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools (WINS) Program shall be strictly observed.
Though the program has been targeted for schools, the same standards shall be
applied in the offices, such as provision of adequate clean water and soap for
handwashing as well as alcohol or sanitizers. In addition to the current
programs in place, the following measures shall also be implemented:
There shall be designated
isolation areas, aligned with the standards set by DOH, for school and offices
· All students, teachers, and personnel who will be entering the school/office premises shall use cloth masks
· Regular disinfection of schools and offices shall be conducted
· Teachers shall regularly and closely monitor the health of their students
· Students, teachers, and personnel who will be detected as having respiratory symptoms shall not be allowed in schools/offices.
·
These health and safety standards shall not only
be observed in schools and offices, but during travel and in their private
activities as well to reduce risk of exposure and transmission.
Reduce contact. As already set through DepEd Task Force COVID-19 (DTFC) Memorandum No. 025 s.2020 and other related issuances, DepEd shall continue to implement strict physical distancing at Central and Field Offices. Non-essential travel and activities will be limited. In addition, temporary barriers will be installed between cubicles.
There shall be restrictions on mass gatherings that would require close contact, such as flag ceremonies and face-to-face office meetings. Any or a combination of work- from-home, skeleton/physically reporting workforce, or other alternative work arrangements shall be put in place pursuant to Civil Service Commission (CSC) Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 10 series of 2020 (Revised Interim Guidelines for Alternative Work Arrangements & Support Mechanisms for Workers in the Government During the Period of State of National Emergency Due to COVID-19 Pandemic). Whenever work-from-home arrangements are not possible, other efforts to maintain social distancing, such as limiting the number of individuals who can eat in the pantry at a given time, will also be in place.
In areas with low-risk severity, schools will be permitted to hold classes through the face-to-face modality. Class size shall be reduced to 15 to 20 learners in a classroom. Classrooms shall maximize available ventilation. Moreover, as discussed more comprehensively in another portion of this LCP, a combination of different learning delivery modalities shall be implemented on top of or to replace face-to-face learning delivery in order to reduce possible exposure of learners and teachers. All activities involving a large congregation of learners are cancelled in the coming school year.
Reduce duration of infection. In order to reduce the duration of infection of COVID- 19, detection and isolation of symptomatic individuals must be ensured in all schools and offices. Pursuant to DM No. 15, s. 2020, (First Set of Policy Directives of the DepEd Task Force nCoV) the Preventive Alert System in Schools (PASS) shall remain in operation to be able to identify possible cases. The said memorandum further stated that students, teachers, and personnel who are exhibiting symptoms shall immediately be referred to the school health personnel or barangay/municipal/city health center for evaluation or referral to a hospital for possible testing.
Should there be an infected student, teacher, or personnel, contact tracing within the school or office shall be done and quarantine of students, teachers, or personnel who had direct contact with the infected person shall be observed. Disinfection of the places within the school or office where the infected had been should immediately follow. The proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for emergency situations and management of quarantine facilities will be detailed in the required health standards.
Other
components. To support the
implementation of the identified strategies under each COVID-19 mitigation
objective, DepEd shall also implement the following:
1. Continuation of DepEd Task Force COVID-19
The
DepEd Task Force COVID-19, created through DM No. 11, s. 2020, shall continue
to lead the overall efforts of the Department in addressing the challenges of
COVID-19 through policy recommendations and strategy development. It shall
monitor compliance with the DepEd Required Health Standards, DOH guidelines,
and other relevant policy directives in relation to COVID-19. It shall also
perform other functions and activities as may be necessary to carry out their
mandate, or as the Secretary may direct.
2. Communications plan
The Department places great emphasis on the importance of maintaining clear communication, consultation, and coordination with learners, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders. In its Plan for School Reopening, intended to support countries in ensuring access to quality education in the time of COVID- 19, the UNESCO IIEP encourages transparency with all education stakeholders and the correction of misinformation to appease public doubts or worries.
As discussed earlier in this BE-LCP, DepEd is strengthening its new media channels across various online platforms for quick and wide syndication of its policies and announcements. We are also doing environment scanning for the collection of inputs from stakeholders that will help inform our decisions.
In
disseminating relevant mental health and preventive and safety information,
support, and response in the midst of COVID-19, the Public Affairs Service
(PAS) shall work closely with the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Service (DRRMS), Quick Response and Recovery Team (QRRT), Bureau of Learner
Support Services-School Health Division (BLSS-SHD), and other DepEd units.
3. Internal Situation Reports
The Department, through the DepEd Task Force COVID-19, has been issuing
internal situation reports regularly to all DepEd units. These reports contain
updated statistics of infected persons nationally, zeroing in on infected
persons within the Department, the latest actions taken by the Department in
support of COVID-19 mitigation, and the latest issuances related to COVID-19,
among others. The report also aims to keep all DepEd units informed about the
latest development in the Department in relation to COVID-19 situation and to
ensure that all actions being undertaken are unified.
The DepEd Required Health
Standards will be released through a DepEd issuance detailing the health and
safety standards for schools and offices discussed above.
Contextualizing
Learning Strategies and Modalities in Regions
Upon recommendation by the SDOS, after consultation with the schools under their respective jurisdictions, the RDS shall decide on the learning delivery modalities deemed appropriate in the context of the local conditions and consistent with the COVID- 19 guidelines and regulations.
We have great trust in our field officials, school leaders and teachers, particularly in their resilience, adaptability, and resourcefulness in delivering instruction. Our schools and field offices are very much mindful of the Secretary's direction to pivot to quality under the framework of Sulong EduKalidad, and we are confident that our own frontliners will ensure that the quality of education will be enhanced rather than sacrificed.
The contextualization at the
field shall be informed by the wealth of knowledge and experience in ground
conditions by our ROS, SDOS, and schools/CLCs. However, there is also a wealth
of resources that can serve as guides in deploying various technologies for
distance learning. By way of example, we include in this document as Annex
"E" an excellent paper by Ani Rosa Almario and Reagan Austria, titled
Helping K-12 Schools transition to Post-COVID 19 Times, which provides
practical steps that K-12 schools may take in order to arrive at the best
decisions regarding the use of educational technology to address their
particular situation.
Brigada
Eskwela and Oplan Balik Eskwela
Brigada Eskwela and Oplan Balik Eskwela, the annual activities of DepEd to prepare for the school opening, will be reconfigured to fully assist the preparation of stakeholders in the roll-out of the BE-LCP. Brigada Eskwela and Oplan Balik Eskwela will be undertaken from June 1, 2020 to August 29, 2020.
Brigada Eskwela. The original schedule of the 2020 Brigada Eskwela on May 18-23, 2020 as provided in DM No. 32, s.2020, is postponed. DepEd, through the External Partnerships Service (EPS), shall now be implementing a longer national schools preparation through Brigada Eskwela from June 1 to August 29, 2020. However, under the Brigada Eskwela Plus, the partnership initiatives shall be implemented throughout the school year. This will contribute to the readiness not only of the school facilities but also of the learners, teaching and non-teaching personnel, school administrators, and community.
The National Brigada Eskwela Media/Online Kick-off Program shall be held on June 1, 2020 via Microsoft Teams and other media platforms. DepEd Region VI shall host and lead the national kick-off which shall be participated virtually by all regions and select stakeholders.
Regional offices (RO) and schools division offices (SDO) may hold their own virtual kick-off ceremonies during the Kick-Off Week from June 1-6, 2020 to launch the Brigada Eskwela in their respective areas after the national kick-off program. If ROS and SDOS opt to hold their kick-off, it shall be conducted as Brigada Eskwela Forum which may involve the following activities:
1. Orientation
on the "new normal";
2. Investment
in education: Giving new direction in engaging partners;
3. Discussion
of the BE-LCP;
4. One
major Brigada Eskwela activity to be adopted by RO/SDO;
5. Conduct
of PFA and PFA training;
6. Discussion
on the basic roles and responsibilities of different sectors, including
parents; and
7. Debriefing
of learners, among others.
The national schools' maintenance week, which includes cleaning, minor repairs, repainting, beautification, landscaping, electrical works and installations, and other activities may still be done two weeks before the opening of classes in public schools, depending on the prevailing ECQ/GCQ situation.
All RDs and Schools Division Superintendents (SDSs) shall mobilize their partnerships focal persons to effectively implement Brigada Eskwela in all public elementary and secondary schools. Involved community and local stakeholders shall strictly comply with protocols on social distancing and regulated gathering of people/volunteers in schools consistent with the IATF health protocols, DOH protection protocols, local quarantine rules and all other relevant protocols outlined in DepEd issuances and subsequent DepEd Task Force COVID-19 issuances. It is also important to note that no volunteer with COVID-19-like symptoms like fever, dry cough, and colds shall be allowed to participate in Brigada Eskwela.
The 2020 Brigada Eskwela activities shall highlight partnership initiatives that complement the Department's efforts for ensuring that quality education will continue, despite the challenges in adapting to the "new normal". Aside from the usual activities conducted in the past Brigada Eskwela, school heads shall endeavor to conduct the following related initiatives:
1. Coordinate
with the local government units (LGUS) or other non-government organizations
(NGOs) and volunteers to clean and disinfect school buildings, classrooms, and
other school facilities.
2. The EPS, RO/SDO partnership focal persons, and school heads shall engage partners in raising the availability of the following items in school during Brigada Eskwela:
·
Thermal scanners;
·
Hand sanitizing equipment or materials, such as
rubbing alcohol, anti-bacterial or germicidal soap;
·
Cleaning tools, materials, or disinfectants that
may be used to disinfect the learning areas, such as spray tank, disinfectant
spray or disinfecting bleach, foot bath;
·
Appropriate face mask/shield and gloves;
·
Multivitamins capsules, tablets, or syrups for
our DepEd personnel and school children;
·
Printing of COVID-19 and health measures
information materials; and
· Printing of materials and provision of supplies for remote learning for the learners, teachers and parents (i.e. bond papers, worksheets, notebooks, pad paper, ball pens, pencils, crayons, coloring materials and others).
3. The school heads shall ensure that psychological first aid or other psychological interventions, together with debriefing, are conducted in partnership with stakeholders during the implementation of Brigada Eskwela.
4. Orientation
activities with teachers, partners, PTA, and learners on BE-LCP shall focus on
the implementation of DepEd's multiple learning delivery modalities.
· Encourage parents through the Parents-Teachers Associations (PTA) towards possible collaborations with the schools that can support the delivery of learning while adapting to the "new normal."
· Engage parents in the promotion of the new school system. The new role and increased involvement of the parents in the learning of their children are essential in augmenting available resources and technology in the community.
· Engage partners in the promotion and provision of learning delivery options such as local radio/TV stations and other available media, which can help in distance or blended learning, and can be a form of partnership initiative to deliver the curriculum. The school heads may identify resources necessary for high-tech, low-tech, or no-tech aide for learning to engage other partners.
5. Lead the implementation of Gulayan sa Tahanan and Urban Vegetable Gardening at Home as part of Brigada Eskwela and School-Family-Community partnerships to promote sustainable food supply at homes.
6. Update their school emergency and contingency plans, and communicate to all stakeholders how they can support schools to ensure resiliency. This is in relation to school safety and preparedness as provided for under DepEd Memo No. 32, s.2020.
7. Engage partners extensively and substantially in Brigada Eskwela and Adopt- a- School Program (ASP) to promote quality education and commit their support for the new normal in schools, especially in the delivery of learning.
8. Collaborate with various stakeholders to guarantee the proper implementation of the Learning Continuity Plan.
9. Strengthen
Brigada Pagbasa in their Learning Continuity Plan.
10. Enrich
partnership appreciation.
Despite the current situation,
the Brigada Eskwela Program shall continue to serve as one of the Department's
ways to ensure that under the "new normal," our schools, our
learners, our administrators, our teaching and non-teaching personnel, and our
parents are ready for the school year.
Oplan Balik Eskwela. The Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) is an annual program to ensure that learners are enrolled and able to attend the school on the first day of classes. It is a mechanism to address problems, queries, and other concerns commonly encountered by the public at the start of the school year.
Given the challenges of COVID-19 and the many anticipated questions and uncertainties, DepEd has extended the period of OBE implementation to run from June 1 to August 29, 2020. The OBE will coordinate and strengthen the synergy with the Department's Brigada Eskwela, and engage agencies, organizations, and other stakeholders towards contributing to the needs of the education sector at this critical time.
There shall be a localized OBE committee at the RO and SDO levels. The OBE committee will be led by the RDS and assistant regional directors in the ROS with representatives from its Public Affairs Unit, Legal Office, Administrative Office, and other offices that could provide assistance to the activity. The SDS and assistant schools division superintendent will lead in the SDO level. The RO shall send the list of OBE committee members in the ROS and SDOS with contact numbers such as mobile, email, Facebook or Viber for faster communication with the CO. The local OBE in the ROS and SDOS, with the CO, shall ensure that concerns in their respective areas are properly addressed.
The OBE Public Assistance Command
Center (OBE-PACC) shall serve as an information and complaints processing and
routing mechanism of the DepEd. It has the following functions:
· Receive, process, and respond to simple queries, information requests, and grievances from the general public. Complex issues and complaints shall be referred to legal officers.
· Assist in the dissemination and clarification of DepEd policies, programs, projects, and processes, particularly those relevant to the opening of classes.
·
Monitor, document, and submit reports on all
issues and concerns received daily, including actions taken, to the OBE-PACC
Central Office.
The Public Affairs Service (PAS), in coordination with the Information and Communication Technology Service (ICTS), shall use an open source OBE ticketing system for recording of issues and concerns received in the central, regional, and division offices. A daily report will be generated to summarize concerns received during the day. This will be forwarded to members of the DepEd ExeCom, while a press briefer containing highlights of the report will be shared to the media.
There shall be a scheduled mass
training of Regional Information Officers, Schools Division Information
Officers, and ICT coordinators via teleconferencing on how to use the system.
This will be facilitated by ICTS and PAS.
Legal
Context
The 1987 Constitution provides in Article XIV, Section 1 that the "State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all." This right must be upheld at all times, and DepEd is duty-bound to provide learning opportunities even in the time of the COVID-19 national emergency. Under Republic Act (RA) No. 9155 or the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, DepEd is "vested with authority, accountability and responsibility for ensuring access to, promoting equity in, and improving the quality of basic education."
Article XIV, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution mandates the State to establish and maintain a system of free public education in the elementary and high school levels. The novelty of the COVID-19 emergency equally calls for a novel approach on the delivery of basic education in the public school system, in which social or physical distancing is indispensable to health and safety. At the same time, the DepEd acknowledges the complementary roles of public and private institutions in the educational system, as inscribed in Article XIV, Section 4(1) of the 1987 Constitution, in the particular context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the restrictions imposed by the "new normal," the BE-LCP requires responsive mal," the BE legal frameworks and support. The plan features an adjusted curriculum with the Most Essential Learning Competencies, which will be delivered in multiple learning delivery modalities. These multiple learning delivery modalities necessitate the creation, reproduction, distribution, and use of learning resources consisting of intellectual properties. The learning resources shall comprise not only the usual textbooks and teaching guides used by DepEd in normal times, but also learning modules in print, digital, and broadcasting formats, as well as accessible format copies for PWDs. Thus, different ways of applying the intellectual property law will be crucial in ensuring that their creation, reproduction, distribution, and utilization will be in accordance with law, including but not limited to RA 8293, otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, as amended by RA 10372.
In our provision of learning opportunities, activities, and resources, the constitutional right to access quality education and as stated in RA 10533, otherwise known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, calls for inclusive, quality, and learner- oriented education that addresses the various needs and diversity of learners. Thus, the prevailing digital divide in the country, the various socio-economic situations of families which affect the provision of learning support in the home, and the peculiar needs of learners with disabilities, learners who are part of indigenous communities, and learners in remote locations, among others, shall be taken into account, along with the needs of the majority and mainstream learners. The rights to access and to quality education shall be made available to every Filipino learner in basic education.
The learning environment under the "new normal" will be very different. The landscape of child protection and child rights will now encompass not only the physical school but more extensively, the cyber world and the home as a "school." The way children will enjoy their right to play, leisure, and recreational activities under Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, will change. Synergy with other government agencies such as the Council for the Welfare of Children, international organizations, NGOs, the academe, and other child rights stakeholders will be crucial to the respect, protection, and promotion of the various rights of the child in the particular context of the COVID-19 emergency.
It cannot be overemphasized that the delivery of education under the "new normal will require a whole-of-government and even whole-of-society approach to mobilize the needed resources, skills, talents, and energies for the unprecedented task of delivering basic education to millions of learners all over the country. For this purpose, it is essential to synergize with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the LGUs in whose territorial jurisdiction the various schools, learners, teachers and non-teaching personnel, and offices of DepEd are situated. Laws pertaining to the mandates of LGUs in relation to basic education and to DepEd, as well as to the promotion of the development of children and their protection, and the general welfare of the LGUs, in normal times and in emergencies, are relevant. 13
The "new normal" in DepEd will bring with it a different working environment. Work arrangements and processes shall be modified to follow safety and health requirements during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the operation and reexamination, or even augmentation, of laws and rules pertaining to human resources.
Existing laws and rules may be used to address the COVID-19 situation particularly in relation to DepEd, with the end view of upholding the constitutional and international rights to education14 and health,15 and promoting the best interest of the child.16 However, as the BE-LCP and its implementation unfold, it may be necessary to propose new laws and rules to suit the realities of a continuing COVID-19 public health emergency.
Finance
The Department shall make necessary adjustments in its operations to meet the objectives of the BE-LCP. Guided by the directions set forth by the plan, DepEd bureaus, services and offices are reviewing and assessing programs, activities, and projects and their corresponding budgets to make them more responsive to the current and post- COVID-19 scenarios. The available programmed funds shall be maximized, reprogrammed, or realigned to those programs and activities that would require more funding support.
While there are existing funds made available to the Department this FY 2020, there is still a need to provide substantial and additional financial resources from other known and potential sources of funds. Even as DepEd is trying to make internal adjustments to cover the funding requirements of the BE-LCP, DepEd is also exploring the following strategies to address funding gaps:
1. Secure the support of both Houses of Congress to pass a supplementary budget to finance the new and expanded programs, activities, and projects. This may include the funding requirements to rehabilitate the existing network infrastructure, and the procurement of hardware to ensure alignment of the supplemental budget with the BE-LCP and support the automation of financial management systems;
2. Revisit Joint Circular No. 1, s.2017 DepEd-DBM-DILG governing the utilization of the School Education Fund (SEF), which should be aligned to the "new normal" in basic education service delivery:
3. Propose legislation or institute policy measures that will allow ways and means to facilitate the processing and approval of financial transactions, such as, but not limited to, the adoption of digital documentation and electronic signatures;
4. Reduce spending on non-priority items in the expenditures of programs, activities, and projects under maintenance and other operating expenses and capital outlay. This involves the adoption of austerity measures to generate "forced savings in current operating expenditures to cover the requirements of new and emerging activities; and
5. Continue to engage with the LGUs, civil society organizations, PTAs, community leaders, and other stakeholders for transparency and accountability.
All resources generated from both
the available annual programmed appropriations and those that may be sourced
from other means shall not be used for ends which are inconsistent with the
Learning Continuity Plan.
Communication
Communications shall play a major role in getting the support of stakeholders in implementing the BE-LCP. In its communications work on the BE-LCP, DepEd is guided by its National Communications Framework, which outlines the overarching communications approaches, including a communications strategy in the time of a crisis.
All communication efforts shall be directed from the CO to ensure a common understanding of DepEd's programs, while allowing field communicators to make communications responsive to localized needs. Communications planning shall be regularly made and adjusted by PAS, in consultation with policy makers and key publics, to unify branding and response efforts. Synergy and coordination with national government media channels (PCOO, DOH and IATF) will also be given priority to ensure that truthful and accurate information are disseminated to the ground.
The Department is strengthening its new media channels across various online platforms for quick syndication of important policies and announcements. We are also focusing on environment scanning for the collection of inputs from stakeholders that will help inform executive decisions, whether strategic, tactical, or operational. The convergence of official, allied, and recognized social media channels from the CO, ROS, SDOS, and schools/CLCs will help reach and engage not only those in urban centers, but most importantly, our field communicators.
On the operation level, a crisis communication management team (CCMT) was formed since the declaration of quarantine protocols. The crisis communications approach shall be integrated with the objectives of Sulong EduKalidad. Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the team has been performing crisis management-related tasks that require timely and speedy completion (24/7 media monitoring, public assistance, and Action Center help desk). The CCMT ensures maximization of traditional media, relevant NGO, and external partners for engagement, and close monitoring of feedback from teachers, learners, and other stakeholders.
In terms of disseminating relevant health and safety information, PAS will continue to partner and work closely with the DRRMS, DepEd Task Force COVID-19, BLSS-SHD, and other DepEd offices for relevant mental health, preventive and safety information, support, and response in the midst of the global pandemic.
These communication efforts of
PAS for the BE-LCP are anchored on the core principles of proactive,
cooperative, responsive and highly engaged relationships with the multiple
publics of the Department of Education.
Monitoring
and Evaluation
To further guide the Department
in refining and continuously fleshing out the BE- LCP, a Monitoring and
Evaluation (M&E) Framework anchored on the Basic Education Monitoring and
Evaluation Framework (BEMEF) is being adopted, tailored to the needs of the
learners during this emergency. This framework shall animate the planned
interventions and activities and will show the desired outcomes as we navigate
through the situation.
The framework includes
intermediate outcomes, which represent what DepEd endeavors the learners to
achieve in terms of access and quality during the pandemic. The enabling
environment defines the necessary governance structure in terms of leadership
investments, management systems, partnerships, and external relations that will
ensure the effective, efficient, and responsive delivery of basic education
needs of the learners.
|
OUTCOME/ OUTPUTS |
DESCRIPTION |
INDICATORS |
ACCOUNTABLE OFFICE |
|
1. Learners are in the basic
education system |
We need to ensure that all
learners, regardless of sex, religion, geography, financial disposition, are
encouraged to be in the basic education system during this pandemic. This
requires that multiple learning facilities, resources, and learning delivery
modalities are made accessible for the different types of learners. |
Gross enrollment rate
Net enrollment rate |
Planning service |
|
1. a. Appropriate and
relevant learning delivery modalities established |
Learning delivery modalities
refer to various modes of accessing learning resources, such as face-to-face
learning, distance learning, and blended learning, which cater to the
different contexts and learning needs of the learners. |
Appropriate and relevant learning delivery modalities
established |
Curriculum and Instruction (CI) bureaus; Ros |
|
1. b. Learners received the
necessary learning resources for the applicable learning delivery modalities |
Learning resources refer to
the learning materials used by the learners to achieve the set learning
competencies and standards. These are, but are not limited to, printed
modules, printed books, DepEd Commons, online modules, and broadcast modules.
These must be in conjunction with the adopted learning delivery modalities. |
Percentage of learners
receiving learning resources per learning delivery modality |
Cl bureaus led by the Bureau of Learning Resources
(BLR), ROS; SDOS |
|
4. Learners complete
education and attain learning standards |
Ensures that programs and
initiatives benefiting learners as they complete the basic education cycle
and other educational interventions are implemented.
|
Completion rate Promotion Rate ALS Completion Rate |
Planning service |
|
1. Education leaders, teaching,
and non-teaching staff practice participative and inclusive management
processes during emergencies |
Improves the capacity, as
well as functional and leadership competencies in participative and inclusive
management processes during emergencies, of education leaders, teaching and
non-teaching staff. It ensures that the design and implementation of
professional development programs are relevant and appropriate to the current
public health situation. |
Types of trainings
established
Percent of staff trained for
various learning delivery modalities
·
Education
leaders ·
Teaching staff ·
Non-teaching
staff
Types of support systems
established
Percentage of staff trained
for various learner support systems
·
Education
leaders ·
Teaching staff ·
Non-teaching
staff Percentage of education
leaders trained/ capacitated on emergency planning
|
National Educators Academy
of the Philippines (NEAP)
Bureau of Human Resources
and Organizational Development (BHROD)
|
|
2. Investments the LCP provides
learners with options for their required learning delivery modalities |
Ensures sufficient provision
and equitable distribution of education resources during the pandemic.
Funding decisions also recognize the gaps and immediate measures that need to
be considered in prioritizing resources in the midst of competing education
priorities to achieve equity and impact |
No. of learning resources procured
No. of learning resources developed
No. of learning resources produced |
Finance Service,
Administrative Service, Procurement Management Service, Planning Service, Cl
bureaus |
|
3. Internal systems and
processes serve learners efficiently through continuous monitoring and
feedback |
Enhances internal systems
and processes to efficiently and effectively deliver basic education
services. |
Disbursement rate Timely delivery of procured
projects |
Finance and Administration |
|
4. Key stakeholders actively
collaborate to serve learners |
Ensures collaborative
engagement with key stakeholders to achieve the LCP. This collaboration will
be delivered through functional mechanisms to make partnership building and
linkages more strategic and aligned to LCP priorities. |
Percentage of financial contribution
of development partners over the total national education budget for the
fiscal year |
External Partnership
Service; Program Management Service |
Social, Economic, and Security Factors
The decision to open classes on August 24, 2020 shall allow the resumption of learning by our students. This will have long-term positive impact and is clearly superior to losing an entire school year if we wait for the full containment of COVID-19.
UNESCO17 points out that prolonged school disruptions are associated with various negative impacts on children. The longer that marginalized children are out of school, the less likely they are to return. UNESCO also notes the risk of teenage pregnancy and sexual exploitation, and that prolonged closures disrupt essential school-based services such as immunization, school feeding, and mental health and psychosocial support, and can cause stress and anxiety due to the loss of peer interaction and disrupted routines.
With the opening of classes, education-related economic activities, such as in learning resources, technology-based platforms, and other ancillary/support industries will also be able to resume. Private schools will be able to open classes, and thus, avoid continued financial dislocation and displacement of their teachers and staff.
By resuming classes, we shall be able to continue with school-managed support systems, such as the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP). Pursuant to RA 11037, or the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act, and DO No. 39, s. 2017, or the Operational Guidelines on the Implementation of School-Based Feeding Program for School Years 2017-2022, the SBFP primarily aims to address undernutrition by serving nutritious meals to undernourished learners for at least 120 days in a year. RA 11469, otherwise known as the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, has identified the SBFP as a measure addressing COVID-19 and beneficial to children.
The commitment to continue providing education to our learners during this time of pandemic shall catalyze technological upgrades and innovations in learning resources and platforms. As discussed in more detail in another section of this document, a number of previously independent blended learning initiatives shall now be consolidated and strategically deployed by DepEd on a large scale.
In a study on the factors that influence the use of technology in the context of the Australian AID tablet computer programme in nine schools in the Philippines, Lumagbas et 418 found that leaders' openness to using ICT Tools, a shared vision on the purpose of using ICT in education, and an open and responsive school culture are key drivers of successful integration of technology in learning. This BE-LCP, with the capacity building programs and other related initiatives it brings, can potentially create these factors for the country's entire school system.
However, there are major issues that will need to be addressed in the implementation of the BE-LCP. One key issue is equity in terms of leamers' access to technology, gadgets, and household support to learning. Leamers who do not have internet access at home will still have printed modules and textbooks for independent learning, but these learners will have limited opportunities for interaction with their teachers and classmates.
Another consideration is the impact of distance and blended learning on the achievement of learning outcomes. Because both learners and teachers are mostly exposed to the face-to-face learning delivery modality, the impact of the shift to blended learning is still unknown. During this transition period, it is unavoidable that there will be a negative impact on the learning of those who cannot easily cope with the change. Support interventions will have to be implemented to mitigate this.
The "new normal" in education means additional administrative and operational burdens to teachers and schools. School management tools and practices such as the learning action cells (LAC), faculty meetings, and the use of school forms, will have to be reconfigured to suit the current situation.
On the security aspect, in times of uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, UNESCO IIEP 19 has emphasized the need to put to rest any public doubt or fear as school reopens. As such, it is crucial that the Department effectively addresses the climate of fear among students, parents, and communities. There may likewise be resistance among certain sections of teachers. In response to these, DepEd intends to be transparent in its communication, and shall correct the spread of misinformation, consult with its internal and external stakeholders, respond to queries and concerns raised, and strengthen its assistance and support to teachers.
Great importance is also given to strengthened coordination and cooperation at national and local levels, especially with the DOH, LGUs, and the Philippine National Police, to continuously ensure the well-being of all returning learners and DepEd personnel. And finally, the Department shall mobilize its partnerships and broad constituency for help and support.
The BE-LCP has put in place several mechanisms to attend to these areas of concern. The first is the conduct of the annual Oplan Balik Eskwela and Brigada Eskwela which are scheduled for activation from June 1 to August 29, 2020. In light of COVID-19, both have been reconfigured to establish readiness of the school facilities, learners, teaching and nonteaching personnel, school administrators, and the community in time for school opening on August 24, 2020 and the implementation of the BE-LCP.
Another existing mechanism is the DepEd Task Force COVID-19, which is tasked to lead the Department's overall efforts in addressing COVID-19. The Task Force shall make policy recommendations and oversee operations, while also providing Daily Situation Reports for monitoring and quick response.
Anchoring on Sulong EduKalidad and Bridging into the Future
DepEd has already made significant strides in education access and was already pivoting to shift its focus on quality. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced other strains of inequities to the education system, including connectivity, cost of mobile use, bandwidth, digital capacity, availability of and capacity for providing learning support at home, and physical availability of parents/learning facilitators who may be daily wage earners and need to be at work.
Although reforms remain anchored on the four pillars of Sulong EduKalidad, the discourse on quality education and approach towards achieving this have been altered. For instance, streamlining the curriculum to prioritize durable and relevant competencies has been accelerated in light of the challenges of remote learning. Moreover, community quarantine has drastically redefined the learning environment, that is, from physical to virtual and distance learning spaces.
On the aspect of capacity building of teachers and school leaders, skills that need to be strengthened such as resilience, adaptability, resource management, technological literacy, and crisis response have become more pronounced in the face of the evolving roles as well as competing priorities of teachers and school leaders. In other words, the Sulong EduKalidad reforms are happening a lot faster than expected, with new dimensions, but also with different roadblocks that must be overcome.
With the BE-LCP, DepEd has demonstrated three interconnected capacities that are significantly linked to the future: INNOVATION, AGILITY, and SYNERGY. Innovation means formulating superior solutions that have greater social or economic impact. Agility refers to the ability to move quickly and gracefully, while synergy is a collaboration that creates an output greater or bigger than the sum of the individual contributions. The BE-LCP shows that adversities can be overcome because there is always a solution. It may be a matter of looking through different perspectives and sometimes, diverging from conventional approaches, but problems can be solved through innovation.
The speed by which an innovation can be launched matters a lot. Those who are agile, who are nimble and fast enough to adapt, would have a head start compared to others and would therefore have more time for fine-tuning their ideas. In contrast, there are voices preferring to cling to the past, calling on DepEd to freeze in time and wait for things to normalize before moving.
The BE-LCP is testament that there is a huge difference between formulating a solution the soonest time possible when it is needed, and coming up with a near-perfect solution much later when everyone has already looked elsewhere. There will be issues and problems in the implementation of the LCP, but these would provide the opportunity for redesigning, which indicates further growth areas and sustains the cycle of innovation.
Synergy, the third future-facing capacity, is the secret to innovating quickly, Converging individuals/institutions that have great alignment creates something that is greater than what each of them can achieve separately. The LCP is a product of the synergy of forward-looking sections of the government, industry, and academe to ensure that learners, teachers, and school leaders will thrive in the "new normal."
Sulong EduKalidad, the current BE-LCP, and the futures of Philippine education are unified by three goals for and with every leamer: agency and self-actualization, work readiness, and responsible citizenship. In the immediate future, the threat of virus transmission persists, and job insecurity becomes high. More than ever, the pandemic has shown that multiliteracies such as information, scientific, health, financial, and civic literacies are important for people to thrive in crisis. When citizens have these literacies fully functioning. they have a better understanding of how the spread can be contained. They are more critical of information credibility. They have a sharper sense of social responsibility and are more capable of dealing with financial shocks. As businesses try to recover from losses due to the pandemic, layoffs due to redundancy are expected, and there is greater risk for low-skilled workers. In addition, employers are more likely to outsource or subcontract some tasks to cut costs, which gives rise to the gig economy or short-term jobs, most of which can be done online. Changes in the employment landscape emphasize the importance of higher-order skills, technological skills, and the ability to work with greater autonomy.
To fully connect the BE-LCP to the future, enduring literacies and skills need to be highlighted in learning delivery modalities, technologies, strategies, resources, assessment, and in teacher/school leader capacity building. Furthermore, its components can be expanded to include knowledge mobilization, science of learning, and analytics. Knowledge mobilization will facilitate the translation of actionable knowledge. The science of learning will provide insights on how learners develop competencies, expertise, and dispositions in either physical or virtual learning spaces. On the other hand, analytics will introduce techniques and tools for collecting, interpreting, and communicating data to ensure evidence-driven decision-making. More importantly, the BE-LCP has to be guided by life-long, life-wide, life-deep, and life-wise learning principles.20 These principles connect learning to a purpose (life-long), to the real- world (life-wide), to mastery and greater autonomy (life-deep), and to practical wisdom, ethics, values, morals, and dispositions (life-wise).
DepEd Resilience. As concluding remarks, DepEd has historically demonstrated an ability to respond to adversities and to deliver on its commitments and responsibilities.
Just last March 2020, two major DepEd ongoing events involving a large number of students from around the country the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) and National Festival of Talents (NFOT) - overlapped with the start of the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine, and participants faced difficulties travelling back to their respective regions due to travel restrictions. Through strong and expeditious coordination with various national and local authorities and offices, the Department was able to bring the delegates safely back to their homes, and was able to undertake the close monitoring of the health conditions of all delegates during the precautionary period.
DepEd and its teachers have also been at the frontlines of every national and local election, ensuring its honest, orderly, peaceful, and credible conduct. Our schools have been used as polling stations, and teachers have been deputized to serve crucial roles despite the demands and challenges that election season entails.
DepEd has provided response actions during major calamities. In just the past nine months, we have dealt with four major occurrences: Cotabato Earthquakes (October 16- 31, 2019), Typhoon Tisoy (November 24-December 6, 2019), Typhoon Ursula (December 19-29, 2019), and Taal Eruption (January 12, 2020). Through the response systems instituted by the Department, learners, personnel, and schools were provided with support for repairs, psychological first aid, and temporary learning spaces. Partnerships have also been leveraged to provide support to DepEd's efforts to ensure learning continuity.
DepEd has a working governance system from the Central Office to the field. This will enable it to translate a complex plan into operational actions at all governance levels. While COVID-19 is a problem, it is also an opportunity. DepEd will not sit by idly to miss the opportunities that COVID-19 brings.
Learning opportunities shall be
available, and learning shall continue in the time of COVID-19. Sulong
EduKalidad!
Policy Guidelines for the Provision of Learning
Resources in the Implementation of the Basic Education Learning
Continuity Plan
DepEd Order No. 018, s. 2020
20 July 2020
Rationale
The public health emergency brought about by COVID-19 calls for the Department of Education (DepEd) to be innovative and resourceful in delivering quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating education. In response to this emergency, DepEd developed the Basic Education Leaming Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) to ensure that learning opportunities are provided to our leamers in a safe manner, through different learning delivery. In line with this, the Department, through its Regional and Schools Division Offices undertake the urgent and necessary development, production and provision of learning resources, in accordance with its mandate.
The 1987 Constitution states in Article XIV, Sections 1 and 2, viz:
Section 1. The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.
Section 2. The State shall:
1) Establish,
maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education
relevant to the needs of the people and society;
2) Establish and maintain a system of free public education in the elementary and high school levels.
Pursuant to the above-cited constitutional provisions, as well as Executive Order No. 292 or the Administrative Code of 1987, Republic Act No. (RA) 9155 or the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001, and RA 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, DepEd is mandated to protect and promote the right of access to quality basic education. Accordingly, it is legally tasked to provide a learner-centered, inclusive, responsive, relevant, and contextualized K to 12 basic education.
In accordance with its legal mandate, DepEd has promulgated issuances on flexible learning and materials, specifically, DepEd Order No. (DO) 21, s. 2019, or the Policy Guidelines on the K to 12 Basic Education Program. It sets forth Flexible Learning Options (FLOS), which includes alternative delivery modes and its corresponding learning resources that are responsive to the need, context, circumstances, and diversity of learners.
These policy guidelines aim to set the standards and specifications in the provision of learning resources in the implementation of the BE-LCP. The learning resources serve as learning toolkits for learners where procedures, instructions, and other details are provided to aid the learning process, with the supervision of responsible adults along with the continuous monitoring and guidance of teachers.
Scope
The standards and mechanisms included in this policy shall guide officials and personnel at the Central, Regional, and Schools Division Offices in the provision of learning resources, particularly for FLOS, in the implementation of the BE-LCP. These policy guidelines shall take effect starting Fiscal Year (FY) 2020.
|
Definition of Terms |
|
|
Ready to Print Materials |
Materials ready for mass printing. |
|
Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) |
Competencies necessary to develop a learner's practical
and lifelong skills for learning amidst a crisis (e.g. pandemic, epidemic,
etc.) and to eventually attain a successful life. |
|
Flexible Learning Options (FLOs) |
Menu of learning interventions and pathways that are
responsive to the needs, context, circumstances, and diversity of learners. |
|
Alternative Delivery Modes (ADMs) |
Instructional learning modalities that do not strictly
follow the typical set-up for regular classroom instruction, but follow the K
to 12 curriculum in content. |
|
Alternative Delivery Modules or Self-Learning Modules
(SLMs) |
Self-contained, self-instructional, self-paced, and
interactive learning resources for public schools intended for learning a
specific topic or lesson where the learner interacts actively with the
instructional material rather than reading the material passively. SLMs become
an ideal learning resource and therefore a priority in remote or distance
learning where a teacher is unable to provide the constant instructional
supervision and guidance in a classroom setting. SLMs have been used by DepEd
for its ADMs during disasters or in situations where learners have difficulty
for daily school attendance. COVID-19 has compelled the use of SLMS on a
large scale. |
|
Learning Resources (LRs) |
Any text-based (print or non-print) or non-text based
material (devices, tools, equipment, manipulative toys) aligned with the K to
12 curriculum and as primary bases or supplements to teaching and learning
processes. |
Policy
Statement
This policy establishes
guidelines that will enable DepEd to provide learning resources in the implementation
of the BE-LCP for School Year (SY) 2020-2021. It also establishes the
guidelines on the release, utilization, and liquidation of support funds for
the printing and delivery of self-learning modules and other learning
resources.
Policy
Implementation
All matters pertaining to results
of needs analysis, content review and evaluation, technical standard setting,
and allocation, release, and utilization of funds shall be coordinated with the
Office of the Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction (OUCI).
A. Guidelines in the Printing and Delivery of Self-Learning Modules (SLMs)
1. The ready-to-print digital copies of the SLMS developed by the assigned regions, and approved and considered final, particularly in terms of content and alignment with the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCS) by the Bureau of Learning Delivery (BLD), can be downloaded from the Microsoft Teams folder "Ready-to-Print SLMS" created by the Information and Communications Technology Service (ICTS) for the Regional Directors, Curriculum and Learning Management Division (CLMD) Chiefs, and Regional Education Program Supervisors in-charge of the Learning Resource Management Section (LRMS).
2. Unauthorized printing, uploading, and conducting activities involving sharing of digital files other than the intended purpose are strictly prohibited and shall be grounds for imposition of administrative and other sanctions.
3. For efficient use of funds and to facilitate timely delivery of the printed SLMS for the first quarter, the Schools Division Offices (SDOS) primarily, or schools as authorized jointly by Regional Offices (ROS) and SDOS, shall set the print run based on the quantity needed and deliver these immediately to schools. The SDOS shall continue to set the requirements for the subsequent quarters, with continuing consultation with the Central Office on the appropriate printing arrangements.
4. In view of the extreme urgency to provide the minimum SY 2020-2021 Quarter 1 SLMs to learners on or before the opening of classes on August 24, 2020, the SDOS are given the flexibility to determine the standard technical specifications in the procurement or in-house/by administration production of printing and delivery of SLMs. In the succeeding quarters of the school year, an addendum to these guidelines may be issued to ensure uniform technical specifications.
B.
Procedures on the Allocation, Release and Utilization of Funds
1. OUCI shall submit the request to allocate and download funds for DepEd ROS to the Secretary, through the Office of the Undersecretary for Finance (OUF), following the allocation formula as approved by the Learning Resources and Platforms Committee (LRPC).
2. The Finance Service (FS)-Budget Division in the DepEd Central Office shall process and issue the Sub-Allotment Release Orders (Sub-AROs) necessary to effect downloading of funds to the ROS.
3. The Regional Director, through its planning, finance, and program teams, shall be responsible in determining the budget allocation per SDO. In determining the most equitable distribution of the fund among the SDOS, the ROS may consider the following parameters, among others:
a. Latest enrollment data of each division;
b. Actual Special Education Fund (SEF) contributions attributable to the BE- LCP learning resources component; and,
c. Actual contributions from external partners attributable to the BE-LCP learning resources component.
4. After receipt of the Sub-AROs from the ROs, the SDOS shall submit a Special Budget Request (SBR) to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)- ROS for the issuance of Notices of Cash Allocation (NCAS) to cover the cash requirements of the Sub-AROS they received.
5. The allocation and utilization of funds by all DepEd Implementing Units shall be in accordance with the priorities set by the ROS/SDOS in line with its contextualized BE-LCP.
6. Expenses related to the conduct of activities, including but not limited to procurement, or in-house/by administration, and/or partnership with Local Government Units (LGUS) and other eligible entities, for the printing and delivery of SLMs and other learning resources such as locally-developed SLMs, manuals, worksheets, and activity sheets, and other expenses to cover supplies for the development of video and radio scripts/lessons, conversion of materials into accessible format, and development of interactive materials, may be charged against this fund. Other expenses related to the implementation of the different learning modalities may also be charged against this fund. The priority, however, shall be provided for the printing and delivery of the SLMS. As stated earlier, SLMs become an ideal learning resource and therefore a priority in remote or distance learning where a teacher is unable to provide the constant instructional supervision and guidance in a classroom setting. SLMs have been used by DepEd for its ADMs during disasters or in situations where learners have difficulty for daily school attendance. COVID-19 has compelled the use of SLMS on a large scale. Considering the uneven access to technology among learners and the revealed greater preference for modular learning from the learner enrollment and survey forms responses, SLMs will be the backbone distance learning mechanism to accompany textbooks, complemented by other distance learning modalities such as online and educational television and radio.
7. The use of the funds shall be subject to the existing government budgeting, procurement, accounting, and auditing rules and regulations.
8. Purchase of Capital Outlay items (e.g. equipment, gadgets, software, or any item costing PhP15,000.00 and above per unit) is not allowed.
9. The grant of cash advance shall be subject to the rules and regulations on the granting, utilization, and liquidation of cash advances as provided for under Commission on Audit (COA) Circular No. 97-002 dated February 10, 1997, as amended by COA Circular No. 2006-005 dated July 13, 2006.
10. In case the downloaded fund is not sufficient to address the actual needs for the purpose, the SDOS may provide additional fund support from their regular General Administration and Support Services (GASS) Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) allotment.
11. Schools may also use their regular MOOE allocations for the printing and delivery of alternative delivery module in accordance with DO 15, s. 2020 (Supplementary Guidelines on Managing Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses Allocation for Schools to Support the Implementation of Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan in time of COVID-19 Pandemic) and subject to pertinent procurement, accounting, and auditing rules and regulation.
12. The SDOS shall determine the most efficient, effective, and economical mode of printing and delivery of learning resources subject to compliance to RA 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The SDOS may:
a. Procure
for printing and/or delivery;
b. Conduct
in-house or by-administration printing and/or delivery. subject to applicable
laws; and,
c. Enter partnership agreement with Local Government Units (LGUs) and other eligible entities.
C.
Procedures or Procurement, Planning and Preparations of Learning Resources
1. Procurement of learning resources under these guidelines shall be in accordance with applicable provisions of RA 9184 and its IRR as well as the internal rules and processes of DepEd.
2. The ROS and SDOS shall ensure compliance with the relevant provisions of DO 038 s. 2019 (Amendments to DepEd Order Nos. 67, s. 2016 and 006, s. 2019 Revised Signing Authorities for Financial Matters) on signing authorities and other pertinent procedural requisites.
3. The
SDOS may resort to the appropriate modes of procurement in accordance with the
provisions of RA 9184 and its IRR, including an agency-to-agency arrangement
pursuant to Section 53.5 of the IRR of RA 9184, such as with any of the
Recognized Government Printers (i.e. National Printing Office, APO Production
Unit. Inc. and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas), subject to the applicable
conditions.
Funding
The fund shall be sourced from the additional "Flexible Learning Options" budget item released by DBM. The purpose of the downloading of funds to the implementing units is to cover funding requirements for the implementation of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan, Provision of Learning Resources."
Monitoring
and Evaluation
BLR shall continuously gather feedback on the implementation of these policy guidelines from: ROS, through the CLMD; SDOS, through the Curriculum Implementation Division (CID); and down to the level of school. SDOS shall submit to their respective ROS a Statement of Expenditure (SOE) within two (2) months from the receipt of funds. The SOE shall be duly certified by the Division Accountant and approved by the Schools Division Superintendent.
ROs shall consolidate the SOES submitted by their SDOS and submit a consolidated report to BLR, copy furnished the Education Programs Delivery Unit (EPDU) of the DepEd Central Office. A template of the SOE is enclosed as Annex "1". OUCI, in coordination with OUF, shall conduct a periodic review of this policy to further enhance its provisions.
Effectivity
This Order shall take effect immediately upon publication in the DepEd website.
References
DO 21 s. 2019 - Policy Guidelines on the K to 12 Basic Education Program
DO 012 s. 2020 Adoption of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE- LCP) for School Year 2020-2021 in light of COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Alternative Delivery Mode
Learning Resource Standards