Ensuring safety of teachers, students in case of F2F classes

Debbie Joy M. Basilio

The safety of both teachers and students should be ensured before the proposed resumption of face-to-face classes is implemented in 2021.

During the course of this pandemic, many - including teachers and DepEd employees - have been infected with COVID-19 due to the lack of safety measures in schools while they were required to report physically.

These problems should be resolved first before anything else or else they will suffer the same fate.

There are a lot of concerns over the preparedness of schools in terms of facilities and protocols to ensure the safety of students should this plan be realized.

Remember, the country is still facing a classroom shortage and lacks health facilities in schools.

The government should ensure the resolution of these problems -- shortages in classrooms and teachers, lack of water supply and hand washing facilities in schools, and sometimes, the absence of school nurses.

Data shows that classroom shortages have been a problem in the past, with a class of 75 to 80 students packed into one classroom only meant for a class of only 40.

Class shifting had to be implemented to accommodate the millions of enrollees every year.

There have been talks about resuming face-to-face classes, despite apprehensions about safety of students, especially those unable to take online classes.

--oOo-

The author is Teacher III at Benigno S. Aquino National High School,

Concepcion Tarlac