DepEd not halting Catch-up Fridays

DESPITE CALLS FROM TEACHERS’ GROUPS

The Department of Education (DepEd) said Wednesday that it will not suspend the implementation of “Catch-up Fridays,” despite the calls of some teachers’ groups due to supposed issues hounding the program. 

Interviewed on Unang Balita, DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas said that the agency will strive to enhance the implementation of Catch-up Fridays, which aims to focus on improving Filipino learners’ reading skills and enhancing their academic performance.

“‘Yung panawagan na i-suspend ang ating Catch-up Fridays ay hindi tayo sumasang-ayon diyan. Instead, tayo ay magpapaigting o mag-eenhance ng ating implementation,” he said. 

(We do not agree with the calls to suspend the Catch-up Fridays. We will instead intensify or enhance the implementation of the program.) 

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) earlier urged DepEd to halt and review the Catch-up Fridays, arguing that teachers are the ones who bear the brunt of additional workload in the implementation of the program. 

ACT said DepEd’s intervention programs to address learning crisis should be tailored to the individual needs of students. 

Meanwhile, TDC said that DepEd should not hasten the implementation of the program as it may bring more problems to the education sector, rather than solving the learning losses among learners.

Adjustments

For DepEd’s part, Bringas acknowledged that there are certain adjustments that the agency has to make to address the concerns of teachers and learners alike.

“We’re still in the third month of implementation and definitely may mga adjustments tayong kailangang gawin at meron tayong mga feedbacks coming from our fields at ‘yan ang mga ia-address natin para mas mapaganda ang pagbibigay natin ng implementation ng Catch-up Fridays,” he explained. 

(We’re still in the third month of implementation and definitely there are adjustments we need to make, and we also receive feedback from the field. That’s what we’ll address to make the implementation of Catch-up Fridays even better.) 

Among the solutions that DepEd aims to prioritize is the provision of reading materials for learners so that teachers or parents need not shoulder additional costs. 

The agency also seeks to come up with structured activities for the subjects taken for the Catch-up Fridays. 

DepEd earlier said that it does not authorize the selling of booklets or workbooks for the program, adding that school activities must not involve out-of-pocket costs. 

It was on January 12, 2024, when DepEd started designating all Fridays throughout the current school year as a “catch-up” day to enhance the academic performance of students in the K to 12  Basic Education Program, considering their low proficiency levels in reading, based on national and international large-scale assessments. —Giselle Ombay/ VAL, GMA Integrated News