Learning from home. This is the “new normal” that Senator Win Gatchalian sees for School Year (SY) 2020-2021 that will ensure the safety and continued education of the country’s more than 27 million learners amid the threat of COVID-19.

The Senate has approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to institutionalize the Alternative Learning System (ALS) and establish an ALS Community Learning Center (CLC) in every city and municipality in the country.

To help schools prepare for a safe reopening this coming school year, Senator Win Gatchalian is seeking more flexibility on the use of the Special Education Fund (SEF) allotted to local school boards.

Senator Win Gatchalian said the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH) should have a “safe school reopening plan” to prevent another surge of COVID-19 cases.

As the Department of Education (DepEd) plans for the continuity of learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Win Gatchalian has proposed an increased use of traditional broadcast media platforms such as television and radio to reach more of the country’s 27.2 million learners.

In its intent to leverage online platforms for continued learning delivery, Senator Win Gatchalian said the Department of Education (DepEd) should maximize using the same tool to provide psychosocial support to distressed learners especially with an extended Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). 

Leave no learner behind. This is Senator Win Gatchalian's call to the Department of Education (DepEd) as it mulls online-based education for the next school year in the event of a prolonged crisis due to COVID-19.

Senator Win Gatchalian echoes reminders for private lending institutions accredited under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Automatic Payroll Deduction System (APDS) to comply on not imposing penalties for late payments as the country combats the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Senator Win Gatchalian is urging both the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to fast-track the release of the last tranche of student subsidies for school year 2018-2019 under their respective programs: the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP) and the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES).