As the entire Luzon and other parts of the country remain under enhanced community quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched DepEd Commons, an online platform for public school teachers to support distance learning modalities.

For Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones, the DepEd Commons is a step towards being able to offer continuity of education to Filipino learners despite disruptions of classes.

“Education must continue even in times of crisis whether it may be a calamity, disaster, emergency, quarantine, or even war. We appreciate the efforts of Information and Communications Technology Service and Undersecretary Pascua for making this platform available in these trying times,” Briones said.

Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua noted that the said platform has many limitations and is still being improved, while underscoring that the use of it is not yet required.

“We acknowledge the reality of situation wherein DepEd Commons and its Open Education Resources (OER) are not accessible to all teachers and learners. Given that not everyone has access to a stable internet connection, online learning platforms are only given as an option for those who have access to such medium,” Undersecretary Pascua said.

“We must start somewhere and work our way towards the ideal where all teachers and learners in the country can access such resources. Until that time, we offer DepEd Commons and OERs to those who can make use of them, as we continue to work for the connectivity of all our schools and offices,” Pascua concluded.

Source: https://www.deped.gov.ph/2020/03/21/learning-while-staying-at-home-teachers-parents-support-deped-distance-learning-platform/