Schools eyed for limited face-to-face classes narrowed down to 300

MANILA, Philippines — Education officials on Monday said the number of schools eyed for limited in-person learning has been trimmed to 300 from the 1,900 across the country that they proposed last year.

The Duterte administration in December 2020 approved a pilot run on resuming face-to-face classes in areas with low virus transmission.

It was later on shelved due to the threat of new COVID-19 variants. And as the first school year under the pandemic comes to a close, government has yet to give another green light on the said study. 

Secretary Leonor Briones said they made the move following suggestions from the Senate. In March, lawmakers told the agency that Palace may be hesitant to approve their proposal due to the large number of schools. 

"Now we have to deal with the Delta variant which I understand is more virulent," she said in a briefing to mark DepEd's 123rd anniversary. "And so this development has to be seriously considered as well."

DepEd has yet to provide a list of schools that could be tapped for the move. But Briones said it will all depend on the assessment of the pandemic task force and the health department, with the final word from President Rodrigo Duterte.  

The education chief added that the agency considers factors in deciding sites for the pilot run, ranging from schools' preparedness to compliance with health protocols.

"First is that facilities have to be ready for face-to-face," she said in Filipino. "Social distancing can be followed, there is water and medicine supply, is near a health unit and passed DOH and IATF's standards."

Local governments would need to approve the conduct of the study in schools within their area, and students participating would need their parents' consent.

Further, businesses catering services would also be required to comply with standards, Briones said. It would include vehicles transporting students, canteens, and supplier of uniforms, to name a few.

"These might change depending on the behavior of the Delta variant," Briones added. "The behavior of the COVID-19 will largely affect whether we will have extensive face-to-face."

Schools' reopening in ASEAN

Contrast to a pilot study pending in the Philippines, some countries in Southeast Asia are now moving to reopen schools. 

Briones said these nations are: Laos, Thailand and Myanmar — under a military coup — this June, Indonesia and Singapore by July, and Cambodia between August to September.

The said data was based from the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization. Countries still ruling this out are: Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Officials from the World Health Organization and United Nations' Children's Fund have since urged nations to make the safe resumption of classes a priority. 

They warned of consequences in the long run on students' overall wellbeing from the prolonged closure of schools.

President Duterte's approval on the return to classrooms is significantly anchored on vaccinations. Local regulators have cleared Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for those 12 to 15 years of age, but inoculation efforts remain on those in government's priority list. 

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