MANILA, Philippines —Students would be allowed to stay in schools for a maximum of half a day only should the proposed face-to-face classes pilot implementation push through, an official of the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Wednesday.
The pilot run in areas deemed low-risk to coronavirus infection was initially scheduled to be implemented last January but was suspended due to the emergence in the Philippines of the more infectious UK variant of the coronavirus.
“The class schedules will vary between schools but the general rule will be that the face-to-face classes will be for a maximum of half-day only,” DepEd Undersecretary and spokesperson Nepomuceno Malaluan told the Senate committee on basic education.
“Because our decision is for learners to take their meals, their lunch at home rather than at school because it’s in the setting of taking their meals that some of the risks are increased.”
“So the students will have to go home—if their schedule is in the morning, to have their lunch at home or those that are coming for an afternoon schedule should have eaten already their lunch at home,” he further explained.
Based on DepEd’s presentation during the hearing, a maximum of 50 schools per region would be allowed to participate in the pilot run.
In terms of the number of classes, only one class per grade level in a small school can hold face-to-face classes; a maximum of three classes per grade level in a medium school, and up to five classes per grade in a large school.
Meanwhile, a maximum of 20 students would be allowed per class depending on the size of a classroom.
“For smaller classroom sizes, 16 is recommended to maintain physical distancing,” the DepEd said.
Malaluan said all these would be implemented only if President Rodrigo Duterte would decide to lift the suspension of the pilot run.