The Department of Education (DepEd) aired its first test broadcast of DepEd TV on Tuesday, Aug. 11. And viewers couldn’t help but notice several typographical and grammatical errors on the questionnaires—specifically in an English lesson for Grade 8 students.
Communications skills trainer Citas Aquino voiced out her concerns in a virtual interview with GMA News: “‘Tagaytay City is known for wonderful picturesque.’ That is grammatically incorrect. […] ‘What does picturesque mean? Charming, running, ruined, perhaps.’ Even the choices of words do not even have any kind of connection with each other,” said Aquino.
Excerpts from DepEd's Grade 8 English test episode.
Watching it will fill you with even more somber thoughts about the upcoming school year. 😰
Btw the lesson literally ends with "dream…believe…survive." StarStruck ang peg?! 😆 pic.twitter.com/vVk2VNwjTV
— JC Punongbayan (@jcpunongbayan) August 12, 2020
In response, the DepEd said they were too focused on the technical aspects of the broadcasting—recording, file conversions, ingestion and mapping. “Tama ang mga komento ng mamamayan na may mga mali nga sa accuracy at maging sa grammar at typography,” DepEd undersecretary Alain Pascua admitted.
“Asahan po ninyo na patuloy ang pagsasaayos na ginagawa ng DepEd upang maging maayos at handa ang lahat para sa darating na pagbubukas ng klase, mapa-online, radyo, TV o modular man,” Pascua added.
Briones: Nagkaroon ng error sa pag transfer at pag kopya. Mabuti na may dry run at nakikita ang mga errors na lumalabas. It was the inputting in the system or whatever. Originally ang gumawa nun, curriculum group. The original had no error. @inquirerdotnet
— Julie M. Aurelio ✵ (@JMAurelioINQ) August 13, 2020
DepEd TV is launched to address issues by students who have no access to internet connection. It will be aired on IBC-13.
VP Robredo pens a letter to DepEd
Vice President Leni Robredo sent a three-page letter to DepEd on Monday, Aug. 10. She asked DepEd Sec. Briones to address concerns raised by education experts and advocates, teachers, parents and students across the country.
In a previous statement, Briones said: “I am confident na ready na ready na, lahat naka-schedule, naka-gear towards Aug. 24.” But Robredo said that there were no clear operational directives given to the teachers on how exactly the blended learning system would be implemented.
“For example, multimodal learning ensures that those who do not have access to the internet continue learning despite the restrictions we currently have. It is noted that these modules are now available in the DepEd Commons. However, there is a need to cascade information in a more efficient manner given that some teachers have said that they have yet to receive these modules,” read the letter.
Robredo also recommended to the DepEd to reallocate funds, conduct mass testing for educators and build community learning hubs across the country.
“Around P29.5 billion was earmarked for the rehabilitation of school buildings for 2020. Given the shift to distance learning, many of these school buildings will be left without children to occupy them, thus deprioritizing the need for the rehabilitation of physical spaces,” wrote the vice president.
However, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said they can’t reallocate funds unless with the recommendation of the Department of Budget and Management.
Header photo courtesy of Inquirer.net
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