As government introduces e-learning this school year

TACLOBAN CITY- A youth council in Lavezares town, Northern Samar has come up with a program providing free use of computers in time for this school year’s electronic and blended learning.
Proculo Adriatico, Jr., the chairman of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) of Barangay Libas, said that they have come up with this program considering that many of the students in their village cannot afford to buy gadgets like mobile phones which they can use for their studies under the new set up.
“Many of our students does not have gadgets of their own which they can use for this school year so we have decided to come up with this program as our way of helping them,” the 22-year old SK leader said in a phone interview.
The village is the biggest among Lavezares’ 26 barangays with more than 3,000 population whose people depend on fishing and farming as their source of incomes.
Adriatico said that the program could potentially benefit around 700 young students of the village.
The government will be introducing e-learning or modular learning to help ensure that students will be spared from getting infection of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).
Adriatico said that they bought two computer sets and a printer for this program using their SK funds amounting close toP40,000.
The computer sets and the printer were installed at their barangay hall.
And as part of health protocols being enforced during this time of calamity brought by COVID-19, those who will enter their e-library must wear face mask and observe social distancing.
Adriatico, who will be on his last year in college taking education at Northern Samar College at the provincial capital of Catarman, said that the use of computers will be ‘strictly for educational purposes’ only.
And to ensure that they can sustain this program and not depend solely on their limited funds, they have also come up with an idea for students to bring used bottles every time they want to print their assignments.
“In return, we sold these used bottles which we use to buy bond papers needed for the printing,” Adriatico said.
For Rose Ann Morado,19, she is happy that their SK leaders under Adriatico has come up with this program for them students.
“This is really a big help for us especially during this time of pandemic. Before we have to go to an internet shop to do our assignments. Now we can do our school works at our e-library free of charge,” the second year education student, said.
Morado said that she and her three siblings will avail this program as their way of helping their family save. Their father, Alvino,44, works as a farmer while their mother, Rosa,43, sells vegetables.
The village has one internet shop which charges P15 per hour of use.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

In Borongan City

TACLOBAN CITY-A private college school based on Borongan City, Eastern Samar was ordered to stop its operation effective Tuesday (August 4) for its failure to follow health protocols on COVID-19.
The suspension of the Our Lady of Mercy College (OLMC) of its operation was ordered by the city government’s licensing and legal offices and approved by Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda.
The said school, which opened its classes last July 20, was said to have conducted face-to-face classes, non-wearing of face masks of both students and teachers while inside the campus; not practicing social distancing and allowing students to attend classes even without health certificates, among other alleged violations of the school.
All these were in clear violations on health protocol being enforced against coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19), the city government said on its order suspending the business license of OLMC.
Based on the notice of suspension order of the city government, it said that OLMC did not deny its alleged violations but merely declared that they have ‘already’ followed the protocols.
“It appears, therefore, that your compliance of the health protocols was already after the fact of your violations thereof,” the order said, adding that it did not coordinate both the Commission on Higher Education and the city government before it started its face-to-face classes.
“Therefore, in view of your violations, your business permit is hereby suspended until August 31,2020 and you are hereby directed to stop operations in view of the said suspension,” it added.
Failure of the school management not to heed the order would force the city government to take legal and administrative actions against them and the revocation of its business permit, the city officials warned.
School president Diosdado Obligar, however, maintained that they are compliant of all the health protocols being implemented by the government on COVID-19.
For one, the wearing of face masks among students is strictly observed inside the campus.
“But when the city personnel inspected our school last Monday, they saw two students at our school stage who were not wearing their face masks properly. They pulled down their face masks. But we are really very strict on this. We have signages inside our campus reminding our students to strictly wear face masks and observe social distancing and other health protocols,”Obligar said through a mobile phone interview.
But he admitted that they did conducted face-to-face classes but stressed that they were observing social distancing with the students sitting two-meters apart.
Still, he chose not to contest the decision of the city government saying they were only doing their duties.
“I chose not to argue with them. I just followed. Anyway, they were only after the safety of the public,” Obligar, who is under quarantine as he just arrived from Manila this week, said.
He added that with this move of the city government, they would further intensify on the implementation of all health protocols.
Obligar also said that the almost one month loss of classes at OLMC due to the closure order would be recovered by extending their classes until December of this year.
The school, at present, has more than 350 enrolled students and set to celebrate its 25th founding anniversary on September 21 this year.
Based on its website, the OLMC offers several four-year courses like criminology, nursing, education and short courses like caregiver.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)