AS CLASSES reopen for the new school year, students in Central Luzon can access TV-based learning by watching the Department of Education's (DepEd) "TeleSkwela" Program on CLTV36.
The station, which is also the only regional TV station in Central Luzon, has officially begun airing K-12 programs from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily to students in Central Luzon.
In response to the DepEd's national directive to implement distance learning in response to the risks of face-to-face classes, CLTV36, together with the Provincial Government of Pampanga, the City Government of San Fernando, and the local school boards of DepEd Pampanga and DepEd San Fernando, forged an agreement to air the TeleSkwela program free-of-charge for all participating parents, teachers, and students in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Bulacan, and Bataan.
The show will also be available nationwide through Cignal TV Channel 115.
As a free-to-air television network, CLTV36 has the potential to reach an estimated 98 percent of students in Pampanga.
Furthermore, the program's telecast is estimated to reach over 1.3 million students, parents, and teachers within regions under CLTV36's coverage.
"The most important element to this partnership is that TeleSkwela will be totally free -- both for the DepEd to air their programs on our station, and for the students and families who wish to participate in the new learning process. For learners, all you really need is an antenna and a television, which most Filipino households have," shared Sonia Soto, CLTV36 president and general manager.
The TeleSkwela program encompasses the entire K-12 curriculum, with each K-12 level assigned a 45-minute time slot per day. Drawing from its expertise of televising current affairs, CLTV36 will also air locally-oriented news stories between lessons, which will allow students to keep abreast of current events and to connect these stories with their studies.
CLTV36's partnership with the DepEd is the latest among a string of efforts made by the station to relay important news, developments, and updates to the people of Central Luzon and its neighboring regions -- a responsibility that it has further embraced as the pandemic forced the nation into a lockdown.
In fact, CLTV36 kept its operations running during the initial stages of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) even as other stations were shutting down, knowing that the citizenry was heavily dependent on the station for information and announcements.
"We recognize our responsibility to the people of the region. Despite the risk and the cost, we kept CLTV's operations running even during ECQ. Now, we are proud to further this responsibility, by serving as a conduit for the programs of the DepEd. We are excited to support the DepEd, especially in creating learning opportunities for students through safe and effective methods," said Soto.
As a subsidiary unit of the Laus Group of Companies, CLTV36 advances the LausGroup's corporate goal to usher regional development by serving the educational needs of students amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lisset Laus-Velasco, chairman and chief executive officer of the Laus Group of Companies, reiterated the company's commitment to supporting countryside development.
"LausGroup has over four decades of experience when it comes to regional development. In that time, we've learned that the best way to generate a positive impact is to consult with all sectors, especially the government to learn and address the people's needs. In a time when the media is vital to transitioning hybrid learning for students, we're grateful to be able to position our media arm, CLTV36, to deliver them their modules every day. It's an exciting start, and through TeleSkwela CLTV36, we're happy to help DepEd prepare our youth as they become valued members of our societies in the future," she said.
CLTV's support for the DepEd's TeleSkwela program complements the broader efforts of the Laus Group, a Pampanga-based conglomerate that has been a longstanding partner in the economic development of Central Luzon through its involvement in the automotive industry, insurance, multimedia, and other ancillary businesses. (PR)