It's all systems go for School Year (S.Y.) 2021-2022 as the City Government of Valenzuela starts distributing free backpacks and school kits to 80,000 kindergarten and grade school public school learners in the City on September 6, 2021.

The distribution of school kits, which will last until the end of September, will employ the same system used last year. The distribution sites are also expected to strictly implement minimum public health standards and protective measures. Only parents or guardians are permitted to claim the school kits from the designated schools as children are still not allowed outside their homes.

Each school kit is composed of notebooks, workbooks, and school supplies such as a pencil case, pencils, ballpoint pens, a pad paper, and a water bottle and a lunch box. A learning packet from the Department of Education (DepEd) Valenzuela is likewise given to each student.

Valenzuela Special Education (VALSPED) Learning Center students will also receive school kits, while the school will get the books they requested from the City.

As the country is still in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic and traditional face-to-face learning is still prohibited, Valenzuela City will continue to adopt the blended learning modality for the incoming school year. Online distance learning will be provided by the Valenzuela LIVE Online Streaming School while modular distance learning will come in the form of the learning packets prepared by DepEd Valenzuela.

All bases covered

The distribution of school kits, which debuted in 2014, is in consonance with the strategies of the Education 360 Degrees Investment Program. Under this program, the age-old problems of the City’s education system and the essential facets of basic education -- from school supplies to parental involvement to infrastructure, are given attention.

Valenzuela City has always prided itself on being a staunch advocate and promoter of quality education. With Mayor REX Gatchalian as its main champion at the helm, education remains to be one of the City’s main priorities and investments even during the pandemic.

Forging ahead

As it enters the second year of schooling under the New Normal, DepEd Valenzuela, with the support of the City Government, is now more equipped and prepared to fill in the gaps and build on the gains made from the first pandemic school year.

Student performance is expected to improve as learners have become more adjusted and accustomed to blended learning.

This school year, the City Government endeavors to address the issue of the students’ mental well-being through the Nanay-Teacher Program. Through the program, the City aims to draw up plans and activities to help both children and parents deal with impatience, anxiety, and stress brought about by the extended lockdown and ever-changing community quarantine status.

S.Y. 2021-2022 will officially open on  September  13, 2021.