SSAT on schools’ preparedness for opening of classes
SOLEDAD G. YDULLAN,
Teacher III Nueva Valencia National High School
Poblacion, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras School Year 2022-2023 is fast approaching. Parents, students, as well as teachers are wondering if the next school year would be similar to last year or will it be different this time. Feedback from parents and students shows that most of them are already experiencing modular and online learning fatigue and distance learning problems. With this current issues and concerns, the Department of Education encourages both public and private schools to get ready for the progressive expansion of the face-to-face classes.
In this connection, DepEd issued a revised School Safety Assessment Tool (SSAT) in order to mobilize and prepare the schools for a risk-free, effective and efficient conduct of the progressive expansion of face to face classes. From time to time, the SSAT was updated based on the monitoring and evaluation results of the pilot implementation and taking into consideration of the school’s present conditions in relation to safe re-opening of classes for school year 2022-2023.
The revised SSAT focuses on four main areas. The first area being on Managing School Operations, where the school needs to receive support from community stakeholders, such as the LGUs, NGOs, PTA, administrators, teachers, among others, emphasizing the shared responsibility framework. They must conduct simulation activities among school personnel in view of managing the conduct of face to face classes. The school needs to ensure that learners who will participate in the expansion have submitted their parents’ consent. The second area for validation is on Focusing on Teaching and Learning. Its main indicator to guarantee the schools readiness is securing a sufficient supply of learning resources which primarily includes textbooks, teachers’ manuals and teachers’ guides, and other learning support materials needed in the expansion. The school must also design class programs that cater to both learners in face to face arrangement and distance learning modality. The third area is on Well-being and Protection, where the participating schools must employ strategies and ways to prevent COVID-19 transmission among stakeholders and maintain the provisions of basic mental health services and psychosocial support to ensure their well-being and protection. And lastly, the SSAT focuses on School-Community Coordination. The school must develop an implementation plan for coordination with the local government and the DOH to ensure that health protocols have been observed and enforced correctly, and for the implementation of school-based immunization, among others.
The school will be evaluated in the division level based on SSAT and once it has complied with its required indicators and standards, the division office will endorse the school for regional evaluation. The regional evaluation team will assess the documents submitted to them and conduct ocular inspection to ensure that the school is ready and safe for the conduct of face-to-face classes. In the event that the regional office approved the application, the school will be allowed to conduct face-to-face classes. Nevertheless, DepEd Secretary Briones noted that the SSAT is not the final determinant whether or not a school will participate in the progressive expansion.( Contributed article)