MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) needs to study “very carefully” extending the hours of online classes and consider how it could add another form of stress to students and their families in the middle of the pandemic, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said. ADVERTISEMENTThe senator stressed the need to balance the quality of learning to the mental well-being of the children and their families. The senator also raised concerns about the number of hours students would be glued to their computer or smartphone screens for the online classes should it be extended. “That’s why we need to study this very carefully, we cannot just mandate the 8-hour classes on a cellphone. We have to make sure that the well-being of our children and our families will not be affected with these changes,” he added.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer August 18, 2020 00:56 UTC