STARTING next month, face-to-face classes will be allowed in selected areas with low risk from the Covid-19 pandemic.
This after President Duterte and other members of the Cabinet approved the recommendation of the Department of Education (DepEd) during a meeting on Monday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the policy will be piloted in areas to be selected by DepEd in coordination with the Covid-19 National Task Force (NTF), which will be in charge of monitoring the implementation of the scheme.
He noted local government units and parents will also be playing a crucial role in the resumption of face-to-face classes and ensuring its participants strictly follow health and safety measures.
“We need to emphasize that face-to-face classes in schools where this may be allowed will not be compulsory, but rather voluntary on the part of the learner/parents. Having said this, a parent’s permit needs to be submitted for the student to participate in face-to-face classes,” Roque said.
Since the government enforced quarantine restrictions last March due to the pandemic, DepEd suspended all face-to-face classes to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in schools. However, DepEd at one point asked President Duterte to allow face-to-face classes in those places with zero Covid cases at that time; the President thumbed this down.
The government said it will only consider recommending the resumption of the said scheme by 2021 once vaccine for Covid-19 is already available.
Currently, the government has yet to implement a mass vaccination program for Covid-19.
Image credits: AP/Aaron Favila