After 100 public schools last week, 18 private schools took part this Monday to pilot limited face-to-face classes.
About 20 private schools were allowed to participate in the pilot implementation, but two did not proceed because, according to the Department of Education (DepEd), the academic calendar of both schools.
At the Mother of Good Counsel Seminary in San Fernando, Pampanga, about 20 senior high school students participated in the first day of limited face-to-face classes.
Although not a requirement of DepEd, the students underwent the COVID-19 antigen test, all of whom have been vaccinated because they are of pediatric vaccination age.
“In online classes po, marami ding distractions… Iba iyong face-to-face na it’s a classroom setting, na the teacher is in front, and you are with your classmates,” said student Adley Gonzales.
“One thing we learned po here is discipline po, and I think we can follow that, especially po sa health protocols,” she said.
Last year, the school applied to conduct in-person classes, but it was not allowed because the government still banned physical classes at that time.
This year, the pilot implementation allowed to continue, which is the first part of the plan to re-establish face-to-face classes in the country.
On the first day, the school wasted no time and immediately conducted a diagnostic test to determine the extent of what the students had learned through the modules and online classes.
Pilot face-to-face classes in private schools begin
“Para alam ko saan kami magsisimula. We don’t want to insist on following the syllabus because that will be very crucial to the students,” said Danilo Maglaqui, principal of Mother of Good Counsel Seminary.
Students will enter the school from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
They will stay in the dorm until their term break on December 10th.
Aside from students, teachers and school personnel were also vaccinated.
San Fernando Mayor Edwin Santiago hopes that the school will be a model in conducting face-to-face classes.
DepEd is happy with the preparation and implementation of face-to-face classes in private schools.
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