President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. orders education officials, led by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, to improve the quality of teaching in schools

To address learning gaps among grade school and high school students, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday, January 12, began its “Catch-up Fridays” program, which dedicates every Friday of the whole school year to reading, values, peace, and health education.

In a memorandum issued on Wednesday, January 10, the DepEd said that all schools in the country should roll out the National Reading Program through activities such as the “Drop Everything and Read (DEAR), Read-A-Thon, fora, and invitation of resource persons.”

“All Fridays throughout the school year shall be designated as Catch-up Fridays, with a focus on operationalizing the National Reading Program (NRP) during the first half of the day’s schedule and on fostering Values, Health, and Peace Education for the second half. Additionally, the Homeroom Guidance Program (HGP) shall also be included in the Catch-up Fridays,” the memorandum read.

What is Catch-up Fridays? According to DepEd, Catch-up Friday is a “learning mechanism intended to strengthen the foundational, social, and other relevant skills necessary to actualize the intent of the basic education curriculum.”