November 17, 2021 – The Department of Education (DepEd), through the External Partnerships Service (EPS), provided strategies and best practices for parents to improve home learning experience with Filipino learners through a PTA webinar titled “Parents’ Role for a Better Learning at Home” on Tuesday.

“Parents play a vital role in the success of the learners not only in the lessons they learn from the teachers, but also in the guidance to nurture holistically developed individuals,” Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones stated.

While collaborative efforts from different sectors of the society helped families adapt to the blended learning setup, the Department recognizes that further capacity-building activities must be offered to parents.

During the program hosted by the Schools Division Office (SDO) of Las Piñas City, Undersecretary for Legislative Affairs, External Partnerships, and Project Management Service Tonisito M.C Umali, Esq. emphasized the important roles of the parents, along with Parents-Teachers Associations (PTAs), in the implementation of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP).

“Tayo po [ngayon ay] nakatutok sa pagbabalangkas po [ng 2021 Omnibus Guidelines on the Regulation of Operations of Parents-Teachers Associations]. Mas komprehensibo po ito [at] masinop na pong konsultasyon ang nangyayari dito, at inaasahan po natin na sa mga susunod na linggo ay mailalabas na [ito],” USec. Umali shared.

The Department is also set to establish home learning spaces for SY 2021-2022 by assisting selected learners from the 20 poorest provinces and urban poor families in the National Capital Region (NCR) and selected SDOs in Region IV-A CALABARZON.

Meanwhile, Dr. Aser B. Javier, an International Governance Consultant and DepEd-EPS Consultant, shared four significant roles that parents play in the education of their children: Facilitator of Learning, Assessor of Child Self-Directed Learning, Community Mobilizer of Learning, and Enabler of Love for Learning (FACE).

“Sa pamamagitan nito [webinar] ang mga magulang ay magkakaroon ng mahuhusay na mga pamamaraan upang masigurado na ang ating mga anak ay hindi mahihinto ang pag-aaral sa panahon ng pandemya. Pinaka-importante na malaman at masiguro na ang bata ay mag-aaral at matututo kahit sya ay nasa bahay.” We can realize that our role [as parents] is very important for the growth of your child so that learning will not be lost,” Javier emphasized.

NCR Assistant Regional Director Arnulfo Balane, on the other hand, noted that parents, as co-collaborators of distance learning, have the responsibilities to inspire and motivate children to love learning, provide spaces conducive to learning, and touch base with the teachers by providing feedback about their children’s learning status.

More than 166,000 participants registered for the webinar and reached 304,000 views during its live session streamed live on DepEd Philippines Facebook page.

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