DepEd, IATF told: Take cue from US CDC on face-to-face classes

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday pitched once more for allowing the resumption of face-to-face classes for schoolchildren, saying government should take its cue from the findings of a United States study that showed “little evidence” that having physical schooling increased community transmission of the coronavirus.

Gatchalian said the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases should study the January 2021 journal article published by experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), even as the country prepares the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination program.

“Kung papayagan lang naman natin ang mga batang lumabas ng kanilang bahay, mas mainam na lang na sa eskwelahan na lang sila magpunta,” Gatchalian, chair of the Senate basic education committee, said in a statement Monday.

(If we will allow children to go outside their homes, it’s better that we allow them to go to school.)

“May malaking maitutulong pa sa kanilang kapakanan kung magagabayan sila ng personal ng kanilang mga guro sa kanilang aralin at makakasalamuha pa nila ang kanilang mga kamag-aral,” he added.

(It would help them a lot if their teachers would personally guide them in their studies and if they will be able to interact with their fellow students.)

‘Little evidence’ of transmission in the US

The CDC is a national public health institute under the US Department of Health.

The study claimed that while schools in the US opened for in-person instruction, there was little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission.

The CDC report further stated that during the fall of 2020, 11 school districts in North Carolina with 90,000 students and staff opened for in-person classes for nine weeks.

During that time, Gatchalian quoted CDC that there were only 32 infections acquired in schools compared to 773 community infections, while no cases of student-to-staff transmission were recorded.

Only seven out of 191 infections among staff and students recorded were proven to be results of in-school transmission in 17 K-12 schools in rural Wisconsin, where mask wearing was a requirement, the senator added.

These findings were generated during a 13-week period in the fall of 2020, according to Gatchalian.

With these recommendations by these same experts, the senator said that the resumption of face-to-face classes is possible if the risk of community transmission is reduced and health protocols are observed including hand washing, frequent use of alcohol, wearing face masks, and practicing social distancing.

Underperforming students

Gatchalian has long been advocating for the return of schoolchildren to their campuses, specially in areas with low incidence of COVID-19.

He noted that President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to cancel the dry run of physical classes is a precautionary measure against a new COVID-19 variant that is now spreading across the world, but the senator warned that this may result in a “likely spike of learners with poor performance” among students.

Allowing safe face-to-face classes will help address the challenges hounding distance learning, which include unstable internet connectivity and the lack of physical interaction with teachers and fellow students.

He also reiterated calls to prioritize teachers in the Covid-19 inoculation program since they are at the forefront of school preparations.

Last December, Duterte recalled his approval on the conduct of the pilot implementation of face-to-face classes scheduled in January this year.

The president, meanwhile, recently allowed the resumption of limited face-to-face classes for medical and allied health programs in institutions located at general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ areas.

EDV