The Department of Education (DepEd) said on Thursday, January 28, that there is “no clear indicator” of the supposed “massive dropout” that could be attributed to the implementation of distance learning.

The DepEd said in a statement that it reached this consclusion after a series of consultations with its regional field offices.

“After a series of consultations with our regional directors and field officers, the Department of Education (DepEd) denies misleading claims on the dropout rate in basic education for School Year 2020-2021. There has been no clear indicator of massive dropout attributed to blended learning, based on the assessment conducted by our field officials,” it said.

“In our weekly joint Executive-Management Committee meeting, no regional director reported alarming dropout details in their respective areas. This was supported by field offices’ report and consultations with learners and their parents,” it added.

The department issued the statement following reports of the dwindling number of students attending online classes and submitting completed learning modules.

The DepEd explained that students did not drop out from school, but they either shifted to other modes of distance learning or transferred to other schools.

The DepEd said that its data showed that students have either moved from city to provincial schools or from private to public schools. But the agency did not provide the figures to the media.

According to the department, schools are continuously implementing academic ease measures to help families, students, and teachers cope with the demands of the distance learning setup.

It also urged the public “not to draw conclusion from misleading claims or on isolated cases.”

In December 2020, Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said that a drop in the use of online learning should not be a cause for alarm because there are other modes of learning that students could turn to.

Schools opened in the middle of the pandemic using distance learning – a mix of online learning, modules, and TV/radio programs – following President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to suspend face-to-face classes until a coronavirus vaccine becomes locally available.

The implementation of distance learning has been widely criticized as the country is not fully prepared for remote education. There are also questions on whether students are learning in this kind of teaching mode.

Are PH schools ready for face-to-face classes during pandemic?

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of Senate committee on basic education, had said that 2021 will be “a very challenging year for both our learners and our teachers in light of the absence of face-to-face classes.” – Rappler.com