DepEd Unveils Guidelines For Catch Up Fridays: What Parents Need To Know

The Department of Education (DepEd) has officially introduced the ‘Catch Up Fridays” program in public schools nationwide, beginning on January 12. This initiative spans elementary and secondary schools and community learning centers.

According to DepEd Memorandum 001 s. 2024, Catch Up Fridays aim to “provide opportunities to enhance learners’ academic performance, particularly the low proficiency levels in reading based on national and international large scale assessments.”

Additionally, this program seeks to intensify values, health, and peace education, identified as crucial components in advancing the basic education priorities outlined in the MATATAG Agenda and achieving the education targets set by DepEd Order No. 013, s. 2023 – Adoption of the National Learning Recovery Program (NLRP).

This means that all Fridays of January 2024 will be dedicated to the “Drop Everything and Read” (DEAR) activity, along with orientation and feedback gathering for field officials.

What parents need to know

Here are key points parents should take note of regarding Catch Up Fridays:

• All Fridays throughout the school year are designated as Catch Up Fridays.
• The class schedule will be divided into two segments: Reading for the first half and Values, Health and Peace Education for the second half. A Homeroom Guidance Program (HGP) is also included.
• Catch Up Fridays are not graded. Progress will be monitored through the learners’ Reflection Journal, which should document reading experiences, learnings, and appreciation of Values, Health, and Peace Education.

For the Reading segment, guidelines refer to the National Reading Program’s two-pronged approach catering to different reading needs: reading intervention and reading enhancement. DepEd suggests activities like Drop Everything and Read (DEAR), Teacher Read-Aloud, Book Talk, Choral Reading, and Read-a-thon.

DepEd provides quarterly themes and subthemes for Values, Health, and Peace Education. Themes under Peace and Values Education include “Personal Awareness, Relational Awareness, Community Awareness, and National and Global Awareness.” Relevant sub-themes are recommended for each year level, focusing on aspects such as self-confidence, accountability, justice, servitude, and nationalism.

For Health Education, themes include “Disease Prevention and Control, Mental Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Drug Education.” Sub-themes distributed across grade levels cover personal hygiene, body image, gender equality and gender stereotyping, and prevention of early pregnancy.

High hopes

Principal Apple F. Soriano of Tambo Elementary School Main in Parañaque City expresses optimism for the program, stating “Let’s get it on with this new project of the Department of Education! All hopes are high!

“Alam mo iyung nakaka-touch, iyung response ng mga guro ko as far as Catch Up Friday’s is concerned, with optimism talaga.”

Soriano hopes that organizations will support the initiative by providing free books for learners.

Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte introduced Catch Up Fridays during last year’s National Reading Month culminating event, saying at the time that it “will focus particularly on reading but may also include subjects in peace education, health and values education.”

The country ranked in the bottom 10 on the last Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and ranked 76th out of 79 countries in reading comprehension.