88 public schools in Central Luzon opened for expansion of limited F2F classes on Jan. 10
Cschools ITY OF SAN FERNANDO— A total of 88 public in Aurora and Nueva Ecija reopened on January 10, 2022 as the Department of Education Region commenced the mass expansion of limited face-to-face (F2F) classes in Central Luzon.
The first batch of schools which participated in the expansion of limited face-to-face classes include 52 public schools in Aurora and 36 public schools in Nueva Ecija as said areas remained under Alert Level 2 and the conduct of face-toface classes in the basic education is allowed.
Face-to-face classes in areas under Alert Level 3 such as Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, and Zambales were deferred until January 15, 2022. Meanwhile, cities in Nueva Ecija such as Gapan City, Cabanatuan City, San Jose City, and Science City of Munoz also postponed the reopening of schools as the respective local government units advised the deferment of the conduct of face-to-face classes in their jurisdiction.
“As early as November last year, we directed all public and private schools in the region to conduct their school safety assessment right after the commencement of the pilot implementation of the limited face to face classes so that the schools can have enough time to prepare for the mass expansion this January,” Regional Director May Eclar explained.
The Schools Division of Aurora highlighted that the preparations undertaken included a joint monitoring and inspection conducted by the SDO Composite Team together with the local government unit (LGU) IATF teams to ensure the safety of the students and teachers who will participate in the implementation of limited face-to-face classes in the province.
These schools undertook a comprehensive assessment and validation spearheaded by the Regional Office including the accomplishment of the School Safety Assessment Tool (SSAT) followed by the validation and inspection of the Schools Division Offices, validation, monitoring, and provision of technical assistance by the Regional Off i ce.
Following the guidelines provided in the DepEd-DOH Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1 s.2021 or the Operational Guidelines on the Implementation of Limited Face-To-Face Learning Modality, schools may offer face to face classes on the following conditions: no COVID-19 case in the barangay within the last 28 days; school must be accessible by public transportation or by walking; must have secured a documented LGU concurrence; secured parents’ free prior informed consent (FPIC); and have met all the criteria in the SSAT.
The number of schools offering in-school education or face to face classes will increase as more qualified public schools shall open until January 31, 2022.
(Michelle Catap Lacson/ DepEd 3)