DepEd to tap partners in fight vs. COVID-19 outbreak

By Merlina Hernando-Malipot

If the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon and other areas will continue, the Department of Education (DepEd) tap its private sector partners to fund essential requirements that will be distributed to schools across the country to help combat the spread of the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19).

Education Secretary Leonor Briones, in a recent press briefing, said that all national, regional, division, district, and school-level activities, including those held off-campus, that involved mass gathering of learners or teachers have been suspended at the outset of the virus outbreak.

One of the biggest annual activities of DepEd is the Brigada Eskwela usually held in May to prepare for the opening of classes for the coming school year.

Also known as National Schools Maintenance Week, the “Brigada Eskwela” brings together all education stakeholders to participate and contribute their time, effort and resources to prepare public school facilities for the opening of the school year in June.

“All Brigada Eskwela-related activities are also cancelled in areas where the national government has declared an extension of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon and other local government units,” DepEd said in a statement.

Depending on the outcome of the ongoing month-long ECQ, Briones said that there might be adjustments to some activities of DepEd that have been postponed or put on hold.

Assuming that the implementation of enhanced community quarantine is lifted, DepEd said that the Brigada activities will be rescheduled from May 18-23, 2020 to May 25-30, 2020.

With the theme “Pagpapanatili ng Bayanihan tungo sa Kalidad na Edukasyon para sa Kabataan,” DepEd said that this year’s “Brigada” will also strictly implement the practice of personal protective measures such as social distancing, proper hand hygiene, and adopting a “3 basic education volunteers per batch/per classroom system.”

https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/04/03/deped-to-tap-partners-in-fight-vs-covid-19-outbreak/