A total of 1,114 out of 60,000 public schools in the country, mostly in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Eastern Visayas regions, have been nominated for inclusion in the pilot test of limited in-person classes in January.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in a press briefing on Wednesday that there was a high demand for the resumption of in-person classes in the two regions while school officials in Metro Manila, Davao region and Cotabato City had begged off from participating.
She clarified, however, that the final number of candidate schools would be “very much [fewer]” since the Department of Education (DepEd) has to consider other factors that would ensure a conducive learning environment while minimizing the risk of COVID-19 infection.
Shared responsibility
The DepEd released the other day initial conditions for the conduct of the pilot test while emphasizing the need for “shared responsibility” among the agency, participating local government units (LGUs) and parents of the students.
Among other conditions, the in-person classes would be allowed only in areas classified as “low-risk” or under modified general community quarantine.
LGUs should also consider the safety of public transportation, according to Briones.
In addition, school canteens would be prohibited from serving buffet-style meals that would encourage the sharing of utensils, while class sizes would be reduced from the average 30 to 40 students to just 15 to 20 to maintain physical distancing.
DepEd chief of staff Nepomuceno Malaluan said that in-person classes would be blended into the distance learning program, as students would be required to attend in-school sessions only once or twice a week.
While progressive groups pushed for mass testing and thorough contact tracing before the government holds the dry run, Malaluan said rapid testing for teachers “[was] not necessary.”
“At the minimum, we will have symptom-based screening [for teachers and students]. It must be assured that they have no exposure to the virus nor do they have any symptoms,” he added.
Clear policies, guidelines
ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro on Wednesday called on the DepEd to “to set clear policies and specific guidelines” for the pilot test to guarantee there would be no COVID-19 outbreak.
“DepEd must be certain then of where the go-signal would come from if it’s really safe to undergo face-to-face classes in the identified areas. It must be ensured that minimum health standards and protocols will be strictly observed; there should also be complete handwashing and sanitation facilities, including enough water supply in every school,” she said in a statement.
“It’s also a must that there should be at least one nurse stationed per school,” she added.
Castro said the DepEd must guarantee that there would be no COVID-19 outbreak when in-person classes resume, calling for free medical checkups, health screening and mass testing for those participating in the dry run. —WTH A REPORT FROM NESTOR CORRALES