Education Secretary Leonor Briones said regional directors recommended 1,114 schools to join the face-to-face classes set in January 2021.
“1,114 na mga schools ang nominated by regional directors,” she said.
However, Briones clarified that listed schools still have to undergo an evaluation to know if they compliant with health protocols. They also need to secure the approval of parents and local government units.
She added the number of schools is expected to be “significantly reduced” after the evaluation.
“Halimbawa, kindergarten to Grade 3 — 25 kids. But we have to look at the classroom itself kasi we must comply with the requirement of social distancing. That is a major consideration,” she said.
Due to this, the DepEd chief said classes could be split into different schedules.
“Classes can be split. Hindi ‘yan that they will be all meeting—all 25 of them for kindergarten or all 45 of them for Senior High School…Siguro once or twice a week on limited hours,” she said.
For Briones, a classroom capacity of 50% or less is possible.
She also said DepEd would conduct COVID-19 testing upon the advice of the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force.
Face-to-face classes dry run
Malacañang announced Tuesday that the dry run for in-person classes in select schools in areas with low risk for COVID-19 transmission would be from January 11 to 23, 2021.
The Department of Education (DepEd) and the COVID-19 National Task Force would monitor the dry run, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.
Concerned agencies would then take the last week of January to submit their reports and evaluation regarding the pilot-testing for final recommendation to President Rodrigo Duterte.
Meanwhile, BHW party-list Representative Angelica Natasha Co said students and teachers should be vaccinated first before attending face-to-face classes.
“Although the home is everyone’s first school, the bottom line is that inadequate are all efforts to conduct formal schooling through modules, blended learning, online learning, and distance learning via tv and radio. All of those efforts are coping mechanisms,” Co said.
“Effective adjustment to life under the new normal can be best achieved by having the students and teachers vaccinated so that they can return to their schools for face-to-face classroom sessions,” she added.