Misamis Oriental 2nd District Rep. Juliette Uy
MANILA, Philippines – A lawmaker is pushing for the gradual resumption of face-to-face classes in colleges, universities and senior high schools in areas under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) starting the coming summer term, provided that minimum health protocols are followed.
“Schools are both education and economic entities. I ask the (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) IATF to allow the gradual reopening of the campuses of colleges, universities, and senior high school starting the coming summer term in MGCQ areas, provided strict minimum health protocols are followed,” Misamis Oriental 2nd District Rep. Juliette Uy said in a statement.
Uy added that college classes should be allowed considering that college students and faculty “have long been within the age range of Allowed Persons Outside of Residence or APOR,” or those aged between 15 to 65 years old.
“It also follows that teachers and other school personnel should be considered frontliners and therefore added to the list of priorities for vaccination,” the lawmaker stressed, adding that teachers should be vaccinated in February or March “or as soon as the first batches of the Covid-19 vaccines arrive.”
“For parents who choose not to allow their kids to attend face-to-face classes, then the homeschooling and online options remain available to them,” Uy pointed out.
Recently, President Rodrigo Duterte has allowed the resumption of limited face-to-face classes for medical and allied health programs in institutions located at general community quarantine (GCQ) and MGCQ areas.