NEHS PRINCIPAL ENSURES QUALITY EDUCATION AMID COVID-19 —New Era High School (NEHS) Principal IV Dr. Ferdinand A. Fontillo (3rd from left) recently bared his programs to ensure quality education for the students amid the coronavirus 2019 pandemic. Photo shows Fontillo with teachers and guests at the “I love NEHS” marker of their beloved school in Tandang Sora, Quezon City. With him are (from left) Aile Talana, Head Teacher (HT) of the Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga (ESP) Department; newly-promoted Assistant Principal of the Emilio Jacinto National High School, Master Teacher Edgardo “Ed” Del Mundo Cruz; Ryan Ponce Pacpaco, NEHS Batch ’93 alumnus; Elinor Abella, HT of the Araling Panlipunan Department; Faye Flores Pacpaco, Office of Sen. Sonny Angara; Maiden Pascua, HT of the Mathematics Department; and Rosario “Sarie” Dela Cruz, HT of the Filipino Department.
Usec: DepEd addressing module errors
Education exec renews appeal for public understanding
THE Department of Education (DepEd) reiterated before a congressional hearing Monday that Sec. Leonor Briones has been diligently working to address errors found in self-learning modules (SLMs).
During the House committee on public accounts hearing on the erroneous books and self-learning modules being used in public schools where lawmakers grilled DepEd officials, Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio renewed their appeal for public understanding following the unfortunate learning module mishaps.
From 163 reported errors, San Antonio admitted that DepEd recorded a total of 155 errors in their self-learning materials from October 2020 to June 2021 after thorough validation.
San Antonio said DepEd has been already taking the necessary actions and has made necessary corrections on the questioned learning modules.
The DepEd has also been advising teachers to be more careful in the use of self-learning materials.
He said the department also welcomed efforts of netizens to call out the errors in the SLMs it had produced and printed in a rush to roll out distance learning for the present school year amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
AAMBIS-OWA party-list Rep. Sharon Garin, chairperson of the House committee on economic affairs, expressed disappointment over the unfortunate learning module problem.
Garin lamented that the DepEd has been sharing incorrect information to millions of Filipino students through module blunders.
During the hearing, lawmakers grilled DepEd officials over errors in educational materials, including “tubig sa thermometer” in a book and the definition of “aswang” in a module.
“Masakit na marinig ko mismo sa DepEd na sabihin n’yo na matters or usage and editorial preference. Imagine yung tubig daw sa thermometer ay palulusutin nyo na tama na sabihin na tubig ang nakalagay,” Antonio Calipjo Go, the complainant on the alleged error of DepEd books in 2018, said during the hearing.
In particular, Go said a book that the DepEd published contains 1,308 errors. “In fact hindi siya kailangang umabot ng 1,308 errors, isang error lang is all it needs to make a textbook defective.”
He also shared to the panel a 10-page self-learning module for Grade 10 students that he got from Pampanga.
According to him, part of page 3 read: “Aswang — siya rin ay isang diyos pero ang Aswang ay pinaniniwalaan na ito’y tao na kumakain ng kapwa tao, kung minsan ang mga ito ay pinaniniwalaan na may mga pakpak at sila raw ay gising kung gabi para maghanap ng maka___tot or maaaswang.”
Go said the topic was about ‘Mga mahiwagang nilalang”.
“Imagine ‘yung bata pinababasa natin ng ganyang kasamang salita,” Go lamented.
San Antonio admitted that the word “k__tot” or sexual intercourse in is unacceptable and the subject module was recalled last February.
Agusan del Norte Rep. Lawrence Fortun asked the DepEd how the controversial module was reproduced and given to the students, adding that the module could not have been examined or reviewed thoroughly before these were distributed.
“Kasi napaka-glaring po ‘nung error. Hindi lang siya error na nagkamali ng spelling o may issue sa editorial preference, napalayo ng definition at bakit ganun ‘yung language at ‘yung language na pumasok ay wala namang karela-relasyon dun sa depinisyon na gustong ibigay,” Fortun said.
In response, San Antonio said “Ang mga development teams po ‘pag sa Division Office usually kasama ‘yung mga master teachers nila dyan at meron po tayong mga area supervisors na namumuno sa quality assurance ng mga ginagamit nila ang iba naman po ay pinapadaan pa nila sa Regional Office.”
“In spite of all our best effort may mga nakakalusot po,” San Antonio added.
Education Undersecretary Tonisito Umali assured that an internal inquiry is being undertaken to make the concerned personnel accountable.
“Para po panagutin ‘yung dapat managot,” Umali said, adding that the DepEd has been reviewing the process of module development to avoid mistakes.
“Clearly may lumabag kasi kung may proseso para po maiwasan ito pong mga mga pagkakamaling ito at nakalusot pa rin, may paglabag o pagkukulang na nangyari. Kailangan managot po lahat po itong mga lumabag at nagkaroon ng pagkukulang po rito,” Umali said.
For his part, Bulacan Rep. Jonathan Sy-Alvarado asked the DepEd how to correct the wrong definition of aswang.
“Paano po mabubura sa kaisipan ng isang bata, 15-16 taong gulang ‘yung kanyang nabasang depinisyon ng aswang?” Sy-Alvarado asked.
In response, San Antonio said the Division Office has issued an errata to address the matter.
“Ibig sabihin ba ng errata ay nabura na sa isip ng mga nakabasa ‘yung kanilang nabasa?” Sy-Alvarado added. “Kasi hanggang ngayon hindi nabubura sa isip ko, ngayon kung bigyan mo ako ng errata alam ko naman na mali ‘yan pero paano nyo mabubura sa kaisipan ng mga kabataan na nakabasa na ‘yung depinisyon ng aswang sa module na yan.”
“Maaaring hindi siya mabubura pero kung bibigyan nya rin po ‘yung pansin yung errata na ilalabas ay mauunawaan niya na sinikap na saayos o itama ‘yung maling nagamit doon,” San Antonio said.
