MANILA, Philippines — Twenty-four higher education institutions have received approval to conduct limited face-to-face classes effective second semester of the academic year, the Commission on Higher Education said Friday.
“These HEIs have fully complied with the CHED-Department of Health guidelines and have been inspected by CHED and their local government units so they can now bring their third and fourth year students for hands-on training and laboratory classes in a limited face-to-face system,” CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III said.
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The following HEIs are allowed to hold limited face-to-face classes:
- Mariano Marcos State University - Batac (Region I)
- St. Louis University (CAR)
- Our Lady of Fatima University - City of San Fernando (Region III)
- Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (NCR)
- University of Santo Tomas (NCR)
- University of East Ramon Magsaysay (NCR)
- Our Lady of Fatima University - Quezon City (NCR)
- Our Lady of Fatima University - Valenzuela City (NCR)
- Manila Central University (NCR)
- Adventist University of the Philippines (Region IV)
- De La Salle Health and Medical Science Institute (Region IV)
- University of Perpetual Help - Don Jose (Region IV)
- Our Lady of Fatima University - Sta. Rosa (Region IV)
- Naga College Foundation (Region V)
- West Visayas State University (Region VI)
- Central Philippine University (Region VI)
- Cebu Institute of Medicine (Region VII)
- University of Cebu School of Medicine (Region VII)
- Iloilo Doctors’ College of Medicine (Region VI)
- University of Iloilo (Region VI)
- Blancia Foundation College, Inc. (Region IX)
- Xavier University (Region X)
- Liceo de Cagayan University (Region X)
- University of the Philippines-Manila
CHED said these universities passed “stringent retrofitting and health standards.”
Allied health-related degree programs such as medicine, nursing, medical technology or medical laboratory science, physical therapy, midwifery and public health were prioritized to conduct limited in-person classes.
This is to enable students to achieve key learning outcomes on specialized laboratory courses and hospital-based clinical clerkship/internship/practicum and to provide additional manpower to the country’s health system.
The development comes as the country battles a surge in COVID-19 cases. To date, the Philippines has a COVID-19 caseload of 693,048, of which 14.4% are active cases.
Schools in the Philippines opened in the middle of the pandemic using distance learning as in-person classes were banned due to the threat of COVID-19. — Gaea Katreena Cabico