Metro Manila schools reopen for in-person classes

Students of Pedro Cruz Elementary School in San Juan City attend their first day of the limited face-to-face classes on Monday, December 06, 2021.
The STAR/Michael Varcas

MANILA, Philippines — Twenty-eight public schools in Metro Manila welcomed back students for limited face-to-face classes on Monday after almost two years of distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Metro Manila schools are part of the 177 basic education institutions that reopened on Monday, joining the Department of Education’s pilot implementation of in-person classes that began last month.

According to DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan, the first day of face-to-face classes in the capital region has been “smooth” so far.

“We have not received any adverse report as of now,” he said in a briefing.

No COVID-19 cases have been reported in schools offering limited physical learning, the education official said.

Malaluan said all public and private schools were told to prepare for in-person classes using the department’s safety assessment tool

He added the DepEd has been authorized to issue safety seals to schools that will pass the agency’s assessment.

The Movement for Safe, Equitable, Quality, and Relevant (SEQuRe) Education launched on Monday its campaign that will monitor and assess the government’s implementation of limited in-person classes.

The Philippines is the last country to reopen schools for in-person classes since a pandemic was declared in March 2020.

The government began rolling out COVID-19 jabs for children as young as 12 in November. — Gaea Katreena Cabico

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