12 Central Visayas schools to hold face-to-face classes

CEBU, Philippines —  The Department of Education in Central Visayas is still waiting for the official and final list of schools in the region that are participating in the limited face-to-face classes.

Report said that out of the 120 schools nationwide that were initially part of the limited face-to-face classes, this was already down to 28 schools nationwide last week.

“Karon kay 28 schools na lang sad and out of 28, 12 of these are in Central Visayas. Wala pa sad ko kabalo kung pila ani sa Cebu kung naa man gani out of the 12. Wait and see lang sa gyud ta kay wala pa gyud ang final list,” DepEd-7 regional director Salustiano Jimenez told The Freeman.

But Jimenez said that figures can change from time to time depending on the assessment of DepEd and the Department of Health.

But during the ceremonial signing of the Joint Memorandum Circular for the Pilot Implementation of Face-to-Face Learning Modality for Basic Education yesterday, DepEd said that the pilot implementation will still be done among a maximum of 120 schools across the country, prioritizing Key Stage 1 learners (Kinder to Grade 3).

In line with the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes in select low-risk areas in the country, DepEd and DOH have identified mechanisms to ensure safety of participating learners, teaching and non-teaching staff, and their families.

“Our utmost priority is the health and safety of our learners and teachers while ensuring that learning happens and learning gaps are addressed. We have been proactive in planning for safe return to schools,” said DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones.

Briones said that the operational guideline for the pilot run of face-to-face classes is a product of their collaboration with DOH, in consultation with various stakeholders, including child health experts.

“This will only be applicable for the schools that passed the strict vetting process by DepEd and DOH, and have the support of their respective local government units,” Briones said.

The guideline, DepEd in a statement, said also sets standards on the readiness of schools for re-opening.

It implements the Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Treat, and Reintegrate framework highlighting the importance of availability of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, proper ventilation in classrooms, ensuring that classroom layouts enable physical distancing between persons, prioritization of students who will benefit most from limited face-to-face learning modality, management of foot traffic, and conduct of simulation activities prior to implementation of the pilot, among others.

“We want to ensure that we provide safe learning spaces for children during this pandemic. The pilot run will be a shared responsibility among DOH, DepEd and local government units to ensure that mechanisms are in place from prevention of COVID-19 infection to reintegration of recovered patients,” DOH Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said.

DepEd also drafted a contingency plan with recommended actions for different scenarios.

The scenarios range from where there is a suspected case presenting symptoms to a scenario where there is resurgence of COVID-19 cases in multiple barangays. This sets the policy on when schools should impose a lockdown.

Briones added that with the help of DOH and other local partners, they will soon orient those who will be involved in the pilot run and coordinate with them regarding the prioritization of their vaccination in case the participating teachers and other non-teaching personnel haven’t completed their vaccines yet.

Another agreement between the departments is that teachers joining the pilot implementation should be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“We are committed to providing additional protection for our teachers through vaccination. While vaccination is not mandatory, classroom learning will be limited to vaccinated teaching personnel. So as not to disenfranchise unvaccinated teachers, they may teach using distance or online modules. This also presents options for parents who are still hesitant to send their children to school,” Duque added. — GMR (FREEMAN)