September 26, 2020 – From establishing radio stations to committing to their roles as key stakeholders, the Parents-Teachers Associations (PTAs) of various regions delivered initiatives to support distance learning in their respective schools in preparation for the opening of School Year 2020-2021.

In the Handang Isip, Handa Bukas press briefing on Monday, Cauayan, Isabela GPTA President Mr. Edmund Cardona reported the significant role of parents played in their community as they established a school radio laboratory Radyo Edukalidad to ensure that 21 far-flung barangays of their hometown can still maximize the schools’ radio-based instruction.

Mr. Cardona also shared that GPTA participated in the Brigada Eskwela initiative of their schools. He reported that they contributed in the maintenance and sanitation school facilities, and establishment of COVID prevention and mitigation structures.

“Ang pamunuan ng General Parents-Teachers Association ng Cauayan Science and Technology High School ay nagtatag ng konkretong hakbang upang suportahan ang Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan ng Department of Education. Tunay na ang sama-samang pagkilos ng GPTA at iba pang stakeholders ay nakakatulong ng malaki sa pag papatupad ng Basic Education learning Continuity Plan,” said Mr. Cardona.

Meanwhile, Atty. Ronald Perez, FPTA President of SDO Baguio City, said that their association conducted major activities including seminars to capacitate parents with new skills and knowledge upskilling to adapt distance learning set up through the Parents Academy.

The FPTA of SDO Antipolo City, on the other hand, highlighted the efforts of their school parents to support the implementation of BE-LCP. They assisted in school-based planning and crafting of the LCP as well as the pilot testing and actual distribution Self Learning Modules (SLMs), according to Antipolo FPTA President Ma. Bonnie Corañes-Manlunas.

Aside from their abovementioned initiatives, Ms. Manlunas and Mr. Perez reminded the major role of parents in instilling values such as honesty to their children in a distance learning set-up.

“Ngayon na kasama natin ang mga bata sa bahay, this is the role of the parents na i-insert or i-assert yung values education sa loob palang mismo ng bahay. I do believe na kung properly ang pagpapalaki ng mga magulang, laging naituturo ang mga disiplina, laging naituturo ang values sa loob ng bahay at napapraktis siya, so definitely, cheating will not prosper. Ang lagi kong sinasabi sa mga anak ko, at the end of the day it will be you who will be graded. It will be our effort, so dapat talaga yung values nai-instill sa mga bata,” Ms. Manlunas said.

“For us, we are really advocating yung GMRC, Good Manners and Right Conduct. We are also training the parents not to meddle on the affairs of the children considering that sila po ang kailangan matuto and tayo naman na parent partner po tayo as effective learning continuity facilitators. And we really would like to advocate yung GMRC, kung diyan pa lang ay kailangan natin maging honest and we need to have these good morals and right conduct of GMRC,” Mr. Perez added.

PTA leaders who graced the press briefing also said that they are continuously providing fellow parents with orientations, webinars, and capability building activities to engage and empower them to pursue lifelong learning goals for their children.

END