8 schools in Cebu to join pilot face-to-face classes

CEBU, Philippines —  Eight schools in Cebu will be part of the pilot implementation of face-to-face classes in basic education starting November 15.

This after the Department of Health eliminated four from the list of 12 schools in Cebu that were earlier floated to be part of the pilot due to non-consent of the local government units concerned, disapproval of parents of students, and the sudden rise of cases in the area, among others, according to Department of Education assistant secretary Malcolm Garma in yesterday’s virtual presser.

Of the eight identified schools in Cebu, five are elementary schools, including Basak Elementary School in Samboan,  Mahanlud ES in Malabuyoc, Cabagdalan ES in Balamban, Luyongbaybay ES in Bantayan, and Siocon ES in Bogo City.

The others are secondary schools: Canang-Marcelo Luna National in Oslob, Busay NHS in Moalboal, and Pilar NHS in Pilar, Camotes.

Only 59 schools from six regions initially made it to DOH’s list for the pilot, but DepEd is hoping the health department will give the greenlight for other schools so it can hit its target of 100 schools for the pilot.

In Central Visayas, 11 other schools on top of those already identified have appealed to join the pilot implementation of face-to-face classes.

Garma, however, said that more schools may be added to the list before the actual pilot which will run for two months under a blended learning set-up.

In a related development, only one of the eight schools in Central Visayas involved in the pilot testing has fully vaccinated its personnel.

With this, DepEd is hoping that all pilot schools will already get their personnel vaccinated as soon as possible.

CDUH starts select F2F classes

Meanwhile, Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital has resumed its face-to-face classes following the approval of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), albeit in select classes only.

CDUH has been doing virtual classes for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With CHED’s go signal, the university has allowed 50 percent of the student population to participate in laboratory classes, specifically from the College of Nursing, College of Allied Medical Sciences, College of Rehabilitative Sciences, and College of Medicine.

To ensure a safe space in learning, faculty members and students have undergone re-orientation on essential guidelines to be followed pertaining to face-to-face sessions, which include temperature check and disinfection upon entry, social distancing in communal areas, and limited capacity aboard the school's shuttle bus.

CDUH has also retrofitted its facilities to create an environment for teachers and students that is safe but optimal for dialogue and discussion. — JMD (FREEMAN)