No June school opening — Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Classes cannot reopen in June because young people could have the most contact with those who are vulnerable to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Malacañang said yesterday. ?

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the Department of Education (DepEd) has also not decided on proposals to start public school classes in September. He, however, said the holding of physical classes cannot be done in June as a precautionary measure against the virus. 

“I think the primary consideration now is the health of the nation. The UP (University of the Philippines) study indicates that actually, the young people, the school-going age, the young people have the most contact with vulnerable population, including the elderly. And that’s why there’s unanimity among all experts that classes should be suspended for as long we can,” Roque said. ?

“The recommendation of the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases) is that at the earliest – it is September, but DepEd was given the final say on the matter because there’s a prevailing law now, which says that classes must start at the latest, last week of August,” Roque told ABS-CBN News Channel.  ?

“But I don’t think there’s much difference between the recommendation of IATF and the law because we’re only talking of one week, so I think that can be threshed out. But I can definitely announce that there will be no classes this June,” he added. ?

Roque said higher education institutions in areas under general community quarantine or those whose restrictions have been relaxed may finish the academic school year. The institutions can employ a skeleton work force and should consider alternative learning methods. 

Roque said the government would also consider the plight of private school owners when deciding on the guidelines on the opening of classes.?

“We know that like the rest of the economy, we have to eventually open them (private schools). But as far as epidemiology is concerned, the worst carriers are actually the school-going age of young people,” he said. – With Janvic Mateo, Paolo Romero