Palace announced Wednesday enrollment of students in public schools will still proceed on June 1, even after President Rodrigo Duterte declared “no vaccine, no classes.”
“Tuloy po yan dahil hindi naman po tayo pupuwede na walang preparasyon [it will proceed because we need to prepare],” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview over Teleradyo.
The Department of Education (DepEd) said students in public schools nationwide could enroll from June 1 to 30.
DepED also said the opening of classes for the school year 2020-2021 would be on August 24, whether physically or virtually.
“Sa atin po, kailangan tuloy pa rin ang preparasyon pero gaya ng aking nasabi, ayan po, sumipa po ang numero ng COVID-19 (cases). Madali naman po ‘yang ‘wag ituloy. Naghahanda po tayo sa possibility ng both face-to-face at saka blended learning,” Roque said.
(For us, we need to continue our preparation, but as I said, the number of COVID-19 cases spiked again. It is easy to cancel. We are just preparing for a possibility of both face-to-face and blended learning.)
Also read: No vaccine, no classes call is antipoor- Gatchalian
Enrollment in public schools begins June 1
President Rodrigo Duterte said in a televised address aired late Monday night that no classes would be open until a COVID-19 vaccine is made available.
“It spells disaster,” Duterte said, noting he would not risk the lives of students without a vaccine.
“Wala nang aral, laro na lang unless I am sure that they are really safe. It’s useless to be talking about the opening of classes. Para sa akin, bakuna muna,” Duterte added.
Roque, however, clarified that the President pertains to the conduct of face-to-face classes.
He added that “no vaccine, no classes” does not mean that there would be a total postponement of classes since there are other educational platforms like radio, television, and the internet.
Roque also said that the government is looking at establishing “make-shift classrooms” in villages for students who have no or limited access to the internet.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who chairs the basic education committee in the Senate, said the no vaccine, no classes stand is “antipoor.”
Gatchalian noted that it might be too late for some students if classes would resume after a COVID-19 vaccine is made available.