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The third virtual Technical Working Group (TWG) Meeting on the LCC’s Compilation of Local Government Units (LGUs) and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) with Best Practices on Literacy was held on June 24, 2020 at 9:00 AM via Microsoft Teams. The Literacy Coordinating Council Secretariat (LCCS), together with the TWG and Council Representatives, mainly discussed the objectives, criteria and requirements on the submission of entries regarding the Literacy Programs of selected LGUs and NGOs to be compiled and included in the second LCC Coffee Table Book. Technical specifications for the printing of the said book, as well as the proposed agenda for the 142nd LCC Meeting were also raised during the videoconference. Another topic taken up was the drafting of the Council’s Official Statement about their initiatives on Basic Education and Literacy amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The virtual meeting was participated in by Dr. Heidi B. Macahilig of the Philippine Normal University (PNU); Ms. Susan M. Carandang of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA); Mr. Zaldy I. Masangkay of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); Mr. Nemesio O. Malatamban III of the House of Representatives; Ms. May R. Cinco of the Education Network (E-Net) Philippines; Ms. Aurea Jean A. Abad, TWG Member; and the LCC Secretariat head and staff.

Following the success of the first session of the joint UNESCO-UNICEF-the World Bank webinar series on Framework for Reopening Schools, Learning in the COVID-19 Era, the second and third sessions of the same event continued on June 11 and 13, both from 15:00-16:30 (Paris Time, GMT +2), respectively. The said endeavor is a part of the Global Education Coalition on COVID-19 efforts to support governments in strengthening distance learning and facilitating the reopening of schools.

The second session of the joint webinar series entitled “Safe School Operations” highlighted the current evidence, tools and practice on safe operations. The said webinar was formally commenced by welcoming the participants and introducing the speakers which was delivered by Mr. Robert Jenkins, Global Chief of Education, UNICEF. This was followed by the panelists’ presentations shared by Mr. Stefan Swartling Peterson, Global Chief of Health, UNICEF; Ms. Elyse Leonard, Safe Schools Advisor, Save the Children Norway; Mr. Matthias Lansard, Chief of Education, UNICEF Senegal; and Ms. Lisa Bender, Education in Emergencies, UNICEF. During the session, it was mentioned that school readiness is very important. Guidelines must be ensured that they are “easily translated to the ground” under the supervision of the program coordinators, school heads, and teachers, among others. It was also reiterated that it has always been an interagency effort. Everyone must participate in securing the safety of school and learners as utmost priority. Strategies such as practicing social distancing, providing adequate safety and health essential supplies to the teachers and learners, splitting the learners into smaller groups, intensifying deployment of distance learning programs, and extending the academic year were also emphasized to the participants during the webinar. The activity was concluded with an open forum wherein the panelists enthusiastically answered each query raised.

After the two sessions of the joint webinar series, the third meeting was held that focused on “Well-being & Protection.” On this activity, the discussion delved on how partners address concerns related to children’s holistic well-being through mental health/psychosocial support, school health, school feeding and child protection. The said undertaking was formally opened by Mr. Jenkins by greeting the participants and providing the purpose and overview of the activity. Afterwards, Dr. Ashley Nemiro, Save the Children; Mr. Andres Felices Sanchez, Chief of Education, UNICEF Venezuela; Mr. Chris Castle, Chief of Section for Health and Education, UNESCO; and Ms. Carmen Burbano, Director of School Feeding Division, World Food Program talked about their respective presentations to the group. It was underscored during the session that it is important to support the students’ well-being and continue learning during COVID-19 school closures by reaching out to them and their caregivers, discussing home learning with them, and connecting them to key services. The social and psychological models that surround the children such as teachers, parents and caregivers must also be highly observed and educated in giving proper support during the time of crisis. Another effective strategy shared with the participants was the principle of coordination and complementarity. It was mentioned that vertical approach means building on strategies at the global and regional levels, and contextualizing the approach at the national and local levels; while the horizontal approach means working with the Ministry of Education and other education clusters, standardizing the tools that are used, coordinating with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and partners to modify the modalities of intervention, and adapting to the situation of the pandemic and its confinement. The session ended with the panelists responding to the participants’ questions during the open forum.

The remaining sessions of the webinar series are expected to happen on the 24th and 29th of June. Each webinar session is mostly attended by focal persons worldwide from the Academe, CSOs, health and safety sector, economic institutions, and research institutions, among others. The LCCS staff has successfully attended the first three webinars of the event through the Zoom platform. By joining such convergence helps the LCC in coming up with policies and guidelines relative to sustained literacy in the country by recognizing and anchoring each intervention to the diverse community needs.

As part of the Global Education Coalition on COVID-19 efforts to support governments in strengthening distance learning and facilitating the reopening of schools, the UNESCO, together with the UNICEF and the World Bank, launched their first joint webinar series on Framework for Reopening Schools, Learning in the COVID-19 Era on Monday, June 8, 2020 from 15:00-16:30 (Paris Time, GMT+2). Along with the LCC Secretariat staff, other focal persons worldwide from various sectors such as the academe, government, and research institutions, among others participated in the said event via Zoom platform. It was moderated by Mr. Hugues Moussy, Head of the Research and Development Team of UNESCO- International Institute for Education Planning (IEEP), the key points of each resource person’s topic were shared through a panel discussion. The panelists for the said activity were: Mr. Gwang-Chol Chang, Chief of Section of Education Policy of UNESCO; Ms. Jane Courtney, Education Specialist of UNICEF Jordan; Ms. Tara Beteille, Senior Economist and Thematic Lead on Teachers for the Education Global Practice, the World Bank; Ms. Rukmini Banerji, CEO of Pratham; and Mr. David Steiner, Executive Director of Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy. The said webinar was formally commenced through a welcoming remarks by Ms. Suzanne Grant Lewis, Director of the UNESCO-IEEP, and delightfully closed by Mr. Hugues Moussy, respectively.

The topics highlighted during were the impact of COVID-19 school closures on learning; effects of learning in primary and secondary education, especially on the marginalized sectors; maximized participation of the parents and the community; and ways to manage an accelerated and/or remedial learning programs. As reiterated, it is important to come up with blended modalities to meet divergent learning needs and capacities of the learners amidst crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participating in such important webinars and meetings allows the LCCS to be updated with the status quo of literacy across the world, and be provided with insights and implementations on improved, dynamic and relevant literacy interventions for all types of learners.

The topics highlighted were the impact of COVID-19 school closures on learning; effects of learning in primary and secondary education, especially on the marginalized sectors; maximized participation of the parents and the community; and ways to manage an accelerated and/or remedial learning programs. As reiterated, it is important to come up with blended modalities to meet divergent learning needs and capacities of the learners amidst crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participating in such important webinars and meetings allows the LCCS to be updated with the current status of literacy across the world, and be provided with insights and implementations on improved, dynamic and relevant literacy interventions for all types of learners.

Participating in such important webinars and meetings allows the LCCS to be updated with the status quo of literacy across the world, and be provided with insights and implementations on improved, dynamic and relevant literacy interventions for all types of learners.

The Literacy Coordinating Council Secretariat (LCCS), headed by Mr. Enrico Mendoza, participated in the Orientation on the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) and Learning Delivery Modalities (LDMs) for the Curriculum and Instruction (CI) Strand via Zoom Virtual Meeting on June 8, 2020.

LCC Chairperson Diosdado M. San Antonio, DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction, commenced that the Schools Division Offices (SDOs) should be conceptualized to address their needs on the efficient monitoring and effective implementation of learning delivery modalities in this time of crisis. He also expressed his warm gratitude to Assistant Secretary Alma Ruby C. Torio, as well as all the bureaus and divisions under the CI Strand, for their conjoined efforts and support toward the delivery of quality education in the country, especially during this pandemic.

BCD Director Jocelyn DR Andaya presented the K to 12 MELCs: Responding to the Needs of the New Normal, including the COVID-19 challenges in education and DepEd’s response through the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP). On the other hand, BLD Director Leila Areola discussed the Learning Modalities in the New Normal, focusing on the Face-to-Face, Distance Learning, Blended Learning, and Homeschooling program. She also laid down the Plan of Actions, and Basic Considerations (Access, Readiness, Conditions/Situations, and Availability of Resources) in addressing the challenge in the Philippine Education System. She also elaborated the utilization of ICT systems (e.g. Learning Resource Portal and DepEd Commons) and other available media, including the television and radio, as alternative delivery modes of learning. The Learning Resource (LR) Portal is the official learning resources repository management of the department; while the DepEd Commons is the official online delivery platform to support blended learning modalities.

Discussions on these competencies and learning delivery modalities for the “new normal in education” were also participated in by DepEd CI Strand bureau directors and office heads, namely Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD) Dir. Jocelyn DR Andaya; Bureau of Learning Delivery (BLD) Dir. Leila Areola; Bureau of Education Assessment (BEA) Dir. Nelia Benito; Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR) Dir. Edel Carag; Teacher Education Council (TEC) Secretariat Dir. Runvi Manguerra; the Indigenous Peoples Education Office (IPsEO) head Ms. Lourie Victor, and LCCS Chief Mr. Enrico R. Mendoza. Dir. John Arnold Siena from the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) also attended the webinar.

LCC’s second virtual TWG meeting was held earlier today, 28 May 2020, via Microsoft Teams. Technical Specifications for the 2019 LCC Research Journal on Literacy and Guidelines for 2020 Call for Research Papers on Literacy were the main agenda of the said meeting. These are the activities under the KRA of Policy Formulation and Research, proposed to be conducted in lieu of the cancelled implementation of the National Literacy Conference and Awards this year.

The eighteen (18) research studies on literacy which were presented during the 2019 National Literacy Conference held on October 8-10, 2019 in Iloilo City, will be featured in the said research journal. This year, LCC proposes to launch the second wave of the Call for Research Papers that will focus on ensuring sustainability of literacy efforts amidst the crises that our country faces, including Taal Volcano eruption, COVID-19 pandemic, among many others. Such research studies shall provide policy recommendations which may be used by the Council for relevant policy formulation. 

The videoconference was participated in by Dr. Heidi B. Macahilig of PNU; Ms. Susan M. Carandang of NEDA; Mr. Zaldy I. Masangkay of DILG; Mr. Nemesio O. Malatamban III of the House of Representatives;  Ms. Melinda T. Quiñones of PIA; Ms. Aurea Jean A. Abad, a resource person; and the LCC Secretariat head and staff.

The Office of the Undersecretary for Administration (OUA) through the DepEd Information and Communications Technology Service – Educational Technology Unit (ICTS-ETU) spearheaded a two-day webinar series on the effective delivery of teleconferencing, video conferencing, and webinars for OUA Strand. The first part of the webinar series with a topic on conducting effective Webinar Broadcast was participated earlier today from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM local time via Microsoft Teams. Together with the LCC Secretariat (LCCS) personnel, the said capacity building program was also attended by key personnel of the Administration Strand and other bureaus/ divisions of DepEd Central and Regional offices.

DepEd ICTS-ETU Head Mr. Mark Anthony C. Sy chaired over the online activity aimed at discussing constructive guidelines, techniques, and parameters on maximizing online resources in conducting webinar broadcasting to attain sustainable and effective work delivery during this “new normal” amidst COVID-19 pandemic. He also presided an open forum and hands-on workshop on creating and using a StreamYard account, which is a free or paid alternative live video production tool in any supported browser (Chrome, Firefox and Opera only) wherein a user can connect a social media platform group/page/profile, stream their own website, and utilize other online features.

Mr. Salvador E. Manansala I of Schools Division Office (SDO) Mandaluyong City, Mr. Mark Anthony F. Jamisal of SDO Antipolo City, and Mr. Mark Anthony F. Papa of SDO Cavite also shared their actual experiences and the interactive applications they use (StreamYard, Canva and Snapchat) on delivering virtual trainings as Webinar Moderator, Host, and Director, respectively.

The second part of this online session with a topic on the effective delivery of videoconferencing and teleconferencing will be held tomorrow, 21 May 2020 at 9:30-11:00 (GMT +8).

Dr. Carl Balita conducted a webinar on May 1, 2020, in cooperation with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry through the PCCI-Human Resources Development Foundation. Dr. Balita has created the OMNI-Modal Learning Experience Model to help teachers prepare for the disruptions brought about by the 4th Industrial Revolution in the VUCA world, and currently being accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The participants to this were University and College Presidents, Deans, Principals, Academic leaders, teachers and DepEd CI strand.

Spearheaded by The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) and UNICEF Philippines, the Webinar on Adolescent Health During COVID-19 was facilitated earlier at 10:00 AM-12:00 NN local time via Zoom application. Along with the LCCS personnel, the said activity was also attended by adolescents, youths, academe, school health personnel, focal persons, Nongovernment Organizations (NGOs) and other relevant stakeholders involved on child rights and adolescent health.

The webinar featured relevant discussions such as Effects of COVID-19 on Adolescents, Child Protection during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Framework, Telemental Health and Medical Services during the ECQ, and Online Engagement of Adolescents. It also included an open forum wherein the speakers provided practical scenarios which gave the participants an in-depth understanding on mental health issues especially during the COVID-19 and the ECQ.

As for the conclusion, the speakers reiterated that “We are acting normal in a very abnormal environment. The feelings that we experience are all valid. We need to establish a community of strong support where everybody cares for everyone.”

Planning of LCC Activities for the utilization of funds for the 2020 National Literacy Conference and Awards (NLCA) which was cancelled due the COVID-19 pandemic became the main agendum during the first-ever virtual Technical Working Group (TWG) Meeting via Microsoft Teams held on April 28, 2020. This is amid the Luzon-wide Lockdown as recommended by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and approved by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Dr. Heidi B. Macahilig of the Philippine Normal University (PNU) presided over the virtual meeting aimed at approving the LCC Secretariat’s proposed activities for 2020 Current Funds which were narrowed down into four (4) key result areas (KRAs) Advocacy, Social Mobilization and Networking; Policy Formulation and Research; Knowledge Management; and Capacity Building, including other possible procurement programs. The Council’s contribution to DepEd’s Learning Continuity Plan was also presented for discussion, seeking the participation of the Council member agencies to support the Secretariat in the coordination and implementation of the plan. These proposed activities are in lieu of the cancelled implementation of the 2020 NLCA, as ratified during the recently conducted 141st Council Meeting.

The videoconference was participated in by Mr. Nemesio O. Malatamban III of the House of Representatives; Mr. Zaldy I. Masangkay of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); Ms. Melinda T. Quiñones of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA); Ms. May R. Cinco of the Education Network (E-Net) Philippines; Mr. Edicio dela Torre of the Education for Life Federation; Ms. Aurea Jean A. Abad of the NLA Board of Judges, and the LCC Secretariat head and staff.