CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Local government units (LGUs) in Central Luzon have committed to ensure that education continues amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of July 28, the total amount of resources generated to support the Learning Continuity Plans of the 20 Schools Division Offices in the region reached PhP731 million and shall complement the funds allocated by the Department of Education (DepEd) Central Office for the opening of classes on August 24.
“The Regional Office expresses its gratitude for all the support given in all Schools Division Offices by the stakeholders in education. Indeed, it takes a whole village to raise a child. Special mention is the big support extended by our legislators, governors, mayors, and punong barangays who continuously support the public schools and our programs, projects and activities,” DepEd Regional Director Nicolas Capulong said.
Majority of the pledges will be utilized for the printing of the Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) such as provision of risograph machines, printers, bond papers, and ink.
A number of LGUs will also be providing financial assistance for other learning modalities such as online learning, TV and radio-based instruction. These include the funds to cover airtime, internet connectivity, wifi transmitters, laptops, computers, flash drives, and television sets.
“To ensure the success of the School Year 2020-2021, various learning materials such as SLMs, self-learning kits, learning packets, videos, scripts for radio-based and TV-based instruction among others are being prepared by our supervisors, school heads and teachers,” Capulong added.
Other LGUs will also be providing their respective schools with personal protective equipment, masks and face shields, flu vaccines for the teachers, and disinfecting equipment for schools.
As of July 31, the enrollment in Central Luzon has reached 2,330,874 or 78.34 percent of last year’s total enrollment data.
From the figure, 2,106,783 are enrollees in public schools; 17,522 enrollees in the Alternative Learning System; 4,267 enrollees in state or local universities and colleges; and 201,705 enrollees in private schools.