Cancellation of in-person classes best ‘New Year’s gift’ to students

MANILA, Philippines — The top official of a private schools association has welcomed the Department of Education’s (DepEd) cancellation of in-person classes in January, saying it was “the government’s best New Year’s gift” to students both in public and private schools.

Eleazardo Kasilag, president of Federation of Associations of Private School Administrators (Fapsa), said the planned dry run “[does] not carry the objectives” of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) nor was it “the best move to herald the new year.”

He said holding in-person classes while the country was battling COVID-19 went against the IATF’s guidelines, particularly prohibiting minors from going out.

On Saturday, President Rodrigo Duterte recalled his approval for the dry run, citing the new coronavirus strain.

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