The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, urged the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) to conduct tutorials to the students enrolled under the present blended learning set up in the different city barangays.
In a resolution, city legislators stated that in line with the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 10742 or the SK Reform Act and the Philippine Youth Development Plan 2017-2022, education is one of the 9 centers for the youth participation.
The council added that the members of SK are adept at the present blended learning curriculum and the use of information and community technology to help in guiding the enrolled students how to hurdle the current challenges being encountered in the existing blended learning set up.
Further, the council claimed the SK may even introduce new ideas to blended learning and influence their mentees to continue their studies despite the current struggles they are experiencing under the present system of education that had been adopted by the education department for classes to continue despite the quarantines imposed due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) not only in the country but also in other parts of the world.
The SK is the governing body for youth-related activities in the barangays, thus, as the council for youth concerns, it may initiate and directly implement programs for the sustainable development of the youth and that education is one area where the SK may participate since many of them are also students and they have the capacity to mentor other students who have difficulty in coping with the present learning environment.
According to the council, there are SK members who are graduates of education who have volunteered their services in the community and the same must be replicated by other SK members in the different barangays who want to render quality service to their fellow students from their places.
The council stipulated that the present remote learning requires the parents and guardians to be the teachers or mentors of their students and children but there are parents who are working or feel that they are not capable enough to transmit the lessons to their children because of inadequate or lack of the proper skills or education to do so.
The council admitted that the implementation of the blended learning modality brought serious concerns to many students and parents because the aforesaid modality requires the students to use computers for their online classes with the guidance of their parents or guardians.
The council proposed that the tutorial sessions be conducted in the SK office and the different barangay halls during the free and convenient schedule of the SK members who will be conducting the same.
Moreover, such tutorial schedules shall be presented to the different barangays for their information and monitoring of the developments that will be undertaken.
The council cited that the SK may provide school and printing supplies at hand and the use of the computers and printing for the same for free as part of their services. By Dexter A. See