Minglanilla's SMS Boystown chosen for pilot in-person classes

CEBU, Philippines —  The Sisters of Mary Schools Inc.  Boystown in Minglanilla town, Cebu is among the 20 private schools in the country that will join in the pilot implementation of face-to-face classes starting November 22, 2021.

It was the only private school in Central Visayas selected by the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Education (DepEd) to participate in the pilot run.

The DepEd-7 submitted five private schools for inclusion with three of them included in the final list of nominations.

Of the three, only SOM-Boystown was included in the final list.

DepEd-7 Regional Director Salustiano Jimenez told The FREEMAN that he already made an appeal yesterday for the inclusion of SOM-Girlstown since both schools have the same set-up wherein all students are “in-house.”

Jimenez said it could be the delay in submission of requirements of the nominated private schools in the region that caused SOM-Girlstown’s exclusion aside from the active cases left in Talisay versus that of Minglanilla.

Based on the Department of Education’s announcement, there are 20 of the 30 nominated private schools nationwide approved for the return of physical classes.

Meanwhile, aside from the SOM-Boystown, four other public schools in Bogo are also expected to be included in the expanded pilot implementation of the face-to-face classes once the barangay officials where the four schools are located will finally give a go to this.

Aside from the four other public schools in Bogo, Jimenez is also looking at adding more schools to go on limited face-to-face classes either next month or by January of 2022.

This after Education Secretary Leonor Briones during the virtual presser yesterday disclosed that President Rodrigo Duterte has already given the nod on their plea to authorize the DepEd and DOH to decide on the expansion of face-to-face classes.

“Pumayag na ang presidente na ‘yung dalawang departamento ang magde-decide ng extent nang pag-expand ng coverage,” said Briones yesterday.

Aside from the approval of the barangays and LGUs, DOH will assess the school’s safety and other measures before its inclusion.

“Kailangan talaga mayroong clearance from the DOH at may risk assessment. Para sa atin, iyon ang importante na consideration. The health of the children and our teachers is paramount,” added Briones.

Health protocols

On the other hand, the National Union of Students of the Philippines - Cebu (NUSP-Cebu) reiterated calls to ensure the health and safety of students and other education stakeholders participating in limited face-to-face classes following the reopening of 100 out of 48,000 schools in the country after almost 2 years of closure.

“The reopening of these schools is a victory for students, teachers, parents, and those who joined our call for the safe and gradual resumption of face-to-face classes for two long years, yet this is long overdue, especially in the midst of increasing dropout rates and a drop in enrollment,” said Hans Noel Balila, Deputy Secretary-General for Campaigns and Advocacies NUSP-Cebu.

Balila said that based on available data from the Department of Education (DepEd), between school years 2019-2020 and 2021-2022, there is a drop of some 22,000 enrollment.

NUSP-Cebu said that this could be due to either the added expenses under distance learning coupled with the economic crisis or the overwhelming academic pressure faced by learners and their parents.

As schools resume onsite operations, NUSP-Cebu echoed the demand for key health protection measures during limited face-to-face classes and to allow for more school reopening both in the region and the whole country.

The health measures include weekly COVID-19 antigen testing; mass hiring of school nurses; retrofitting of classrooms to ensure better ventilation; and medical fund for free treatment of those who contracted the virus, among others.

 “Despite the reopening of schools, our call for ligtas na balik eskwela remains. We urge the government to provide adequate funding for education, health and safety measures to allow more schools to reopen,” Balila said.

Moreover, NUSP-Cebu expressed its support for the Safe School Reopening Bill authored by Kabataan Partylist in Congress, which covers costs for COVID-19 testing, COVID-19 vaccination, retrofitting of classrooms, capacitating health and sanitation facilities, financial and logistical support for teachers and non-teaching staff, among others. —   Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon, KQD (FREEMAN)