LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte––Students in nine schools in Ilocos Norte province will go back to school after being chosen for the pilot implementation of the face-to-face classes starting Nov. 15, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced Monday, Oct. 25.
These schools include the Alao-ao Elementary School and Pagdaggan Elementary School in Bangui town, and Bicbica Primary School, Buanga Elementary School, Godogod Elementary School in Pinili town.
The Dumalneg Elementary School and Dumalneg National High School in Dumalneg town, and the San Isidro Elementary School and Cacafean Elementary School in Marcos town, were also selected for the program.
The four towns, where the schools are located, have a low risk of virus transmission and were classified under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), the least restrictive containment classification in the country, according to the Oct. 22 assessment of the provincial Department of Health.
At least 28 schools in the province were initially shortlisted to participate in the program before a government task-forced trimmed it down to only nine schools.
Valerie Talamayan, information officer of the DepEd in Ilocos Norte, said these schools were evaluated after a “series of safety assessments,” which included the readiness of facilities and well-placed health protocols, among others.