2 Cebu schools allowed to hold physical classes

CEBU, Philippines —  A total of 24 higher education institutions in the Philippines, including two medical schools in Cebu City, have been given the go signal to hold limited face-to-face classes effective second semester of school year 2020-2021.

The two from Cebu are the Cebu Institute of Medicine (CIM) and University of Cebu School of Medicine (UC-Med).

CIM and UC-Med are the only schools in Region 7 approved for limited face-to-face classes, so far, after complying with guidelines from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Health (DOH).

They had to pass through stringent retrofitting and comply with health standards imposed by CHED, DOH, and the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Other schools in the Visayas that were given the green light are West Visayas State University, Central Philippine University, Iloilo Doctors’ College of Medicine, and the University of Iloilo, all from Western Visayas.

Majority of the HEIs given the go signal are from the National Capital Region, including Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Santo Tomas, University of the East Ramon Magsaysay, Our Lady of Fatima University, Manila Central University, and the University of the Philippines-Manila.

Also given the green light are Mariano Marcos State University in Ilocos Region, St. Louis University in CAR, Our Lady of Fatima University in Central Luzon, Calabarzon’s Adventist University of the Philippines, De La Salle Health and Medical Science Institute, University of Perpetual Help, Naga College Foundation in Bicol Region, Blancia Foundation College, Inc. in the Zamboanga Peninsula, and Xavier University and Liceo de Cagayan University in northern Mindanao.

CHED Chairman J. Prospero De Vera III said only third year and fourth year students are allowed to have face-to-face classes.

“These HEIs have fully complied with the CHED-DOH guidelines and have been inspected by CHED and their LGUs so they can now bring their 3rd and 4th year students for hands-on training and laboratory classes in a limited face-to-face system,” he said.

CHED will continue to monitor these HEIs to ensure that they will provide safe and healthy spaces for their students.

Select allied health-related degree programs such as Medicine, Nursing, Medical Technology/Medical Laboratory Science, Physical Therapy, Midwifery, and Public Health, were prioritized to conduct limited face-to-face classes 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.

Aside from that, CHED has announced that six HEIs have partnered with their respective local government units to serve as vaccination centers during the first wave of vaccinations, including UST, Manila Central University and Our Lady of Fatima University in NCR, St. Louis University of Baguio, DLSMHI in Region 4, and Central Philippine University (CPU) in Iloilo City.

Here in Cebu, UCMed have also been utilized as a vaccination center.

“We are encouraging the other HEIs to also offer their facilities as the country gears for expanded vaccination of senior citizens, essential workers, teachers and government personnel starting the 2nd quarter of the year,” De Vera said.

This in anticipation of more vaccines to come in the second quarter of this year.

“As the country looks forward to receiving the next batch of millions of donated and procured vaccines in the 2nd quarter of the year, we must maximize the use of large alternative venues to be readily available so that the priority groups (essential workers, seniors, the indigents) could be inoculated without further delay,” De Vera added.

In return, though, De Vera is asking LGUs to include in their vaccination list the HEI faculty, staff and students who are assisting in the vaccination drive.

“This is also the reason why President Duterte approved limited face-to-face classes – because our HEIs can help in the government’s vaccination program,” De Vera said.

De Vera said CHED is now preparing the Guidelines for Establishing Vaccination Centers in HEIs with inputs from the CHED Public Health Experts Group (PHEG). These guidelines will be discussed with the LGUs and IATF and can be used in ensuring more vaccination centers for the government. — JMO (FREEMAN)