Manila starts pilot face-to-face classes

MANILA: The Philippines on Monday started its pilot face-to-face classes involving thousands of public school students throughout the country and officials cited initial reports indicating that no major problems had marred their opening.

With the start, officials also said the Philippines removed itself from the list as the only country in the world that has not implemented in-person classes since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic besieged the world in early 2020.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the Philippines in Asia and Venezuela in South America were the two remaining countries that failed to hold in-person classes due to the pandemic.

Officials cited Unicef records which showed that Venezuela returned face-to-face classes on Oct. 25, leaving the Philippines In that dubious distinction. But they explained the government was just being careful in order to spare children from the COVID-19 threat.

Earlier President Duterte ordered the Department of Education (Deped) to increase the number of public and private schools allowed to participate in the pilot in-person classes.

Education officials reported that 100 public schools participated in the pilot opening of such classes on Monday. They added 20 private schools are to hold similar classes on Nov.22 even as they said that more schools would be included in the pilot study.

Under a joint memorandum circular signed by the Deped and the Department of Health, only students in the “key stage” or Kindergarten to Grade 13 level would be allowed to participate in the pilot run, along with secondary learners from selected schools.

The same circular mandates that the pilot classes be held In areas considered as “low risk” to COVID 19. The teachers and other school personnel are to be fully vaccinated and that participating students are required to have signed writen permissions from their parents.

“With operational guidelines and our shared responsibility framework in place, we assure everyone that his pilot programme will remain consistent with relevant public health standards, rules and regulations,” Deped earlier said in a statement.

Initially, Deped said a total of 14 participating schools in the Caraga Region in Mindanao, 10 schools each from the Ilocos region in Luzon as well as Northern Mindanao, Eastern Mindanao, Eastern Visayas and Central Luzon and nine from the Bicol Region.

Education Undersecretary Malcolm Garma said the final list of private schools was still being accomplished with 57 applications being thoroughly reviewed.