Education Secretary Leonor Briones clarified that the Department of Education (DepEd) was not part of the establishment of Community Learning Hubs, a project of the Office of the Vice President.
Briones responded when asked by Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr., who claimed that Vice President Leni Robredo said that she has a project with DepEd which permits face-to-face classes for six students at a time.
However, the Office of the Vice President Leni Robredo’s statement showed that the Community Learning Hubs were in partnership with local government units (LGUs) and the private sector, not DepEd.
“Last August, nag-request ang OVP na sina-suggest nila iyang project na ‘yan, sinagot namin, humingi kami details. Ang polisiya namin, dahil sinusunod natin ang utos ng Presidente, hindi natin iyan ina-allow,” Briones said in a Palace briefing, referring to President Rodrigo Duterte’s order not to resume face-to-face classes pending availability of a vaccine against COVID-19.
“Wala naman sa authority ng DepEd na ire-reverse natin ang sinasabi ng Presidente,” Briones added.
Briones: DepEd has no project with Office of the Vice President
Given the scenario, Briones said that the OVP worked with LGUs.
“So ang sitwasyon ngayon, halimbawa sa Pasig, nag-coordinate sila sa LGU ng Pasig dahil hindi naman in-approve ng Division superintendent ‘yun. Sa Caloocan [City] naman, hindi rin natuloy, dahil hindi rin in-approve ng ating Division superintendent dahil may policy nga tayo [against face-to-face classes]. Hindi rin in-approve ng LGU. Sa Taytay, Rizal naman, nakipagugnayan sila sa barangay, pero hindi involved ang DepEd,” Briones pointed out.
“Walang ganung klaseng kasunduan [with DepEd], walang ganung klaseng approval [ang DepEd], at nanatili pa rin ang policy ng ating Presidente na walang face-to-face session ang bata dahil wala pang vaccine,” Briones added.
In June, Robredo called for volunteers and partners to establish learning hubs nationwide to help students and teachers prepare for online learning and modular distance learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Robredo, at the time, decided to launch the project as the OVP calls for donations for spare smartphones, tablets, laptops, or desktop computers for students and teachers.