Education Secretary Leonor Briones said Tuesday that school administrators in COVID-19 low-risk areas could apply for the conduct of limited face-to-face classes.
Briones said at a press briefing that school officials could forward their application to their regional directors in the Department of Education (DepEd).
“Bawat lugar, bawat probinsiya merong division superintendents, supervisors, principals et cetera,” Briones said.
(Each area, each province has their superintendents, supervisors, principals et cetera.)
“Now, ‘yung gustong-gusto at eager sila to go into limited face-to-face (classes) sulatan nila ang kanilang regional directors,” she added.
(Now, those who are eager to go into limited face-to-face (classes), they should write to their regional directors.)
Regional directors will then approve the request and the DepEd will review it, Briones added.
The DepEd Secretary pointed out that the application process would begin in Inter-Agency Task Force’s (IATF) decision to place an area under the low-risk category.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier approved the DepEd proposal of allowing limited face-to-face classes.
Malacañang announced that limited face-to-face classes would be allowed starting January 2021, subject to the guidelines given by the government.
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Face-to-face Classes Guidelines
- Face-to-face classes will be allowed only in low-risk areas, or those already at least under modified general community quarantine or in the transition phase between general community quarantine and the new normal.
- Face-to-face classes will be allowed in January 2021, or the third quarter of the school year. Private schools that have started limited face-to-face classes last June will be allowed to continue.
- Decisions to allow limited, localized face-to-face classes will be made with due coordination between the Department of Education, the concerned local government units, and the local health authorities.
- Stringent health standards will be followed.
- Pilot testing and inspection jointly with the National Task Force Against COVID-19 for the observance of required health standards and protocols.
Briones said if there would be a surge of COVID-19 cases, DepEd would follow the IATF’s instruction to shutdown schools even in the middle of the school year.
She also clarified that learners are not forced to participate in face-to-face classes.