Five days before the school opening, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it has so far distributed 80% of the printed self-learning modules (SLMs) to millions of public school students. 

In a virtual press briefing on Monday, September 28, Education Undersecretary Revsee Escobeo said that a total of 533,209,023 SLMs had already been distributed to students, accounting for 79.86% of the 667,673,924 printed first quarter SLMs. 

Asked for updates on the figures, Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio told Rappler in a Viber message on Wednesday, September 30, that the latest figure they have is what Escobedo presented during Monday’s briefing. 

San Antonio said the remaining 20% is “expected to be delivered this week.”

On Monday, San Antonio told reporters that the number of distributed printed modules should not be used as a gauge to assess the overall readiness of the agency for the school opening on October 5.

“So hindi dapat sabihin na kung hindi 100% may SLMs ang 59% ng aming mga learners na nagsabi na gusto nilang humawak ng printed learning module ay hindi na tayo matutuloy, kasi madaming other options na pwedeng gamitin,” San Antonio explained.

(We should not say that if not all of the 59% of the learners have the modules, school opening won’t push through, because there are still other options.)

Aside from printed SLMs, lessons will also be delivered through online sessions, as well as TV and radio broadcasts. (READ: FAST FACTS: DepEd’s distance learning)

“So gusto naming bigyang diin na hindi pwedeng husgahan yung kahandaan just because hindi pa nakakarating si printed self-learning modules,” San Antonio said. (We would like to stress that we cannot judge the readiness based on the number of modules distributed.)

San Antonio earlier said an estimated 13 million or 59% of some 22 million public school students this school year will use the learning modules as mode of distance learning. (READ: FAST FACTS: DepEd’s modular learning)

DepEd shifted to distance learning for the coming school year to comply with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive for schools to delay face-to-face classes until a coronavirus vaccine becomes available. Local experts said that in a best case scenario, the earliest that the country could access a vaccine is the second quarter of 2021.

The Philippines’ opening of classes has already been delayed twice to allow schools, teachers, students, and parents to prepare for the demands of distance learning in the time of the pandemic. – Rappler.com