February 22, 2021 – Following efforts to establish accessible learning continuity platforms amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) was recognized as one of the Policymaker EdTech Champions at the 10th Anniversary Event and Award Show of Mobiles for Education (mEducation) Alliance.

Last February 11, the Department received the award alongside the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education of Sierra Leone.

“We are humbled by this recognition as our only focus right now is to pour efforts in responding to the needs of our learners in these trying times. This award is dedicated to our teachers and personnel who bravely respond to unprecedented challenges in education due to the pandemic,” Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said.

“In response to COVID-19 related school shutdowns, the Department of Education in the Philippines began training teachers to record lessons that would be broadcasted to students through television, radio and online platforms such as YouTube and DepEd Commons. Local TV personalities were tapped to select, train and mentor 107 teacher-broadcasters in a span one month,” the citation from mEducation Alliance reads.

In addition, DepEd TV was one of the honorable mentions under the Crisis and Conflict Response category at the same awarding event.

“Ang pagkilala sa DepEd TV sa larangan ng ‘Crisis and Conflict Response’ ay pagkilala sa husay at dedikasyon ng bawat miyembro sa likod nito,” Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua wrote in a post.

Conceptualized at the onset of the pandemic, DepEd TV has been running TV lectures in English, Filipino, Mathematics, Science, and Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga for learners from Kinder to Grade 10.

“Sa ngalan ng production team, writers, directors, researchers, at teacher-broadcasters ng DepEd TV, lubos po kaming nagpapasalamat sa pagkilalang ito,” Undersecretary Pascua said.

Since its official launch, DepEd TV has produced 130 video lectures every week to give enough coverage of all major subjects to learners who preferred the TV-based modality. The Department has also uploaded these episodes on its DepEd Commons platform and Facebook, which can be accessed free of data charge.

DepEd TV shared the top spots with the “We Are in This Together & Colors of Kindness” COVID-19 Emergency Response Consortium of Amal Alliance and the winner, Internet Free Education Resource Bank of Education Above All Foundation.

The mEducation Alliance is an Education Technology (EdTech)-centered non-government organization focused on the evidence-driven and sustainable role of technology in education to advance quality educational outcomes.

 

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