The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday assured the public that the agency has consulted several experts, institutions and agencies for the pilot implementation of face-to-face (F to F) classes.
During the hearing on DepEd’s P630.8- billion budget proposal for 2022, Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones also assured that they would not implement the limited F to F classes without the consent of parents and the local government units (LGU).
She said DepEd wants to hold pilot limited F to F classes in some 120 schools in areas where there is low Covid-19 risk.
“If we talk about blended learning, we also talk about face-to-face classes. For more than a year, we already anticipated this problem, as early as last year,” she said.
“Last Friday, I presented once more our proposal [to President Duterte] for 100 public schools and 20 private schools for the pilot testing of the face-to-face,” she added.
According to Briones, President Duterte has reacted positively to the proposal and he is expected to give his decision “very soon” taking into consideration the new variants of Covid-19.
“These decisions that we have made are not the decisions of the DepEd alone… these were done with strict consultations with various institutions, experts on children’s health, Department of Health [DOH] and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases [IATF]. [And we think] the prospect of face-to-face classes is quite optimistic on the part of the Philippines,” she said.
Briones said the DepEd and other agencies agreed to only implement F to F classes with consent of LGU.
“Not all LGUs would favor face-to-face since they know what is happening in their areas,” she said.
The secretary also said the agency will secure written consent of the parents for the physical classes.
“Sometimes, we assume that all parents want face-to-face but there are parents who are afraid of face-to-face with [the increasing] Delta variant cases,” she added.
Briones likewise assured that school facilities are appropriate for physical classes.
“We have to be appropriate for face-to-face, the requirements have to comply with requirements for face-to-face such as social distancing, availability of water and medicines, quick response from DOH, classes have to be approved by DOH and IATF…that we agreed on,” she added.
Briones added that stringent health and safety standards should be followed at home, during travel to and from the schools, and within school premises.
She said the agency is continuously coordinating with national and local authorities and health experts, parents, teachers and service providers.
Citing latest data, Briones, meanwhile, said a total of 25,582,224 students have enrolled so far for school year 2021-2022. The number represents 97.5 percent of last year’s total enrollment of 26,227,022.
“We expect to match last year’s performance in enrollment. It’s a traditional practice to extend enrollment. We are extending enrollment up to the end of the month of September,” Briones said.
After claiming the past school year amid pandemic as a “success” by the DepEd, Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago, for her part, said that the agency remains “severely unprepared” to ensure quality learning and the right to education for many Filipinos.
“The DepEd says that 658 schools are mapped out to be areas under minimal risk for Covid-19, yet they only included 120 schools in their proposal to allow limited face-to-face classes, a far cry from the real number of face-to-face ready schools. Sinabi rin ni Secretary Briones na matagal nang pinaghahandaan ang pagbubukas, so bakit di natin ipaglaban sa Malacañang?” said Elago.
“There are lack of funds and explicit programs for ‘ligtas na balik eskwela’ as reflected in shortchanged efforts to Covid-proof facilities with the budget for priority school health facilities being only intended by DepEd for just small projects such as hand-washing stations, toilets, and the like,” she added.