DepEd: Students ‘satisfied’ with in-person classes
WITH the conduct of the pilot study of face-to-face classes in 287 schools nationwide starting November 2021, the Department of Education (DepEd) reported that majority of students who participated were satisfied with their experience.
Overall, 265 public schools and 22 private schools joined the pilot program of in-person classes.
Ninety-seven percent of learners in Grades 1 to 3 said they were satisfied overall with the conduct of classes, and 86 percent of senior high school students said they were satisfied.
Both Grades 1 to 3 pupils and senior high school students reported that they were most satisfied with the delivery of the lesson by the teacher.
Some students, however, expressed that they were not satisfied or that they were neutral. The top challenge reported by pupils from Grades 1 to 3 was the difficulty in seating arrangement with the physical distancing protocol, as some were not able to see the visual materials written or posted on their boards.
Meanwhile, for senior high school students, the primary challenges were forgetting physical distancing with classmates, feeling uncomfortable inside the classroom due to poor air circulation, and forgetting the health and safety protocols when in school.
The Education department said they will use the learners’ feedback to improve implementation, especially in the expansion phase.
“We will review the reasons of those students who expressed that they were not satisfied with the implementation of face-toface classes to improve the delivery in the expansion phase,” DepEd Planning Service Director Roger Masapol said.
Education Assistant Secretary for Field Operations Malcolm Garma emphasized that there were no confirmed positive cases of Covid-19 reported during the pilot study. There were, however, some students who opted not to attend classes as they experienced flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough and cold.
He said that DepEd ensured proper coordination with the local government unit (LGU) to refer students for swabbing for Covid-19 or to undergo isolation at home.
Garma also clarified that except those in areas under Alert Level 3 status, schools that have started face-to-face classes during the pilot phase may continue to hold in-person classes with the continued support of the LGU.
“We have already suspended the implementation of the pilot classes in the National Capital Region (Metro Manila), but we would like to reiterate that the pilot classes that have been started last year will continue in areas under Alert Levels 1 and 2 as long as we can sustain the concurrence of the LGU and the consent of the parents for their children’s participation,” he explained.
With this, DepEd emphasized that distance learning modalities — such as modular learning, online learning as well as TV- and radio-based instruction — will still push through despite the suspension of face-to-face classes.
Meanwhile, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that her department’s decision and next steps on the expansion phase of the face-to-face classes will be dependent on the assessment of the Department of Health (DoH) — as they prioritize the safety of teachers and learners.
“We are following the advice of the DoH to wait until January 15 — by that time, we might have firmer data and better news for everyone interested in education,” she said.