There will be no class suspensions in public schools in Pasig City during distance learning, Mayor Vico Sotto announced on Thursday, October 22.

Sotto said in a tweet that it is unnecessary to declare class suspensions since students are at home anyway during distance learning.

“While we are in blended/distancelearning, there is NO suspension of classes for public schools. Dahil hindi naman lalabas ng bahay ang mga mag-aaral at ‘di rin strict sa online attendance (Because students are just at home and online attendance is not strictly enforced),” Sotto added.

https://twitter.com/VicoSotto/status/1319129380392583168

He also urged private schools in Pasig to do come up with their own policies.

In his tweet, a student who seemed to be from Pasig asked the Mayor if the rule still applies for those attending online classes especially when internet connection becomes unstable.

“Sa public schools ng Pasig, may worksheets o kung tablet na ang gamit, preloaded. Hindi kailangan ng live internet connection (Public schools in Pasig have worksheets or if a tablet is used, lessons have already been preloaded. Internet connection is not needed),” Sotto replied.

To help students in Pasig City with the demands of distance learning, Sotto raised P1.2 billion in June to provide tablets and laptops to its public school students in elementary, junior, and senior high school; and their teachers.

The Department of Education (DepEd) earlier said that class suspensions will depend on the situation in an area. However, it will still be the local government units that will declare class suspensions. (READ: #WalangPasok during distance learning? DepEd says depends on situation)

The DepEd shifted to distance learning this school year to comply with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive for schools to delay face-to-face classes until a coronavirus vaccine becomes available.

Distance learning is when teachers and students are geographically remote from each other during their classes. This means lessons are delivered outside the traditional face-to-face setup, through a mix of modular learning, online learning, and TV and radio broadcasts. 

Why this matters

Less than a month after Filipino students started classes again, there have been reports about students being overwhelmed by distance learning, while some students said they were unable to attend online classes due to unstable internet connectivity caused by bad weather. (READ: Students’ mental health issues during distance learning due to ‘interplay of factors’ – expert)

The DepEd urged teachers to give a “reasonable” amount of tasks in class to prevent student burnout. – Rappler.com