FILE PHOTO Medical technology students work in a laboratory as limited face-to-face classes resume at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila on October 20, 2021, ahead of a government plan to pilot face-to-face primary and secondary classes on November 15 in COVID-19 low risk areas. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — The Universidad de Manila (UDM) will start conducting face-to-face classes for nursing and physical therapy (PT) students starting Nov. 18.
This came after UDM passed the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHEd) inspection on Wednesday.
According to UDM president Felma Carlos-Tria, face-to-face classes will immediately start on Thursday, Nov. 18, pledging to provide quality education without compromising the health of its students.
“We look forward to welcoming our Nursing and PT students back to a safe campus. Although these are the first two courses that will go on limited face to face, we are already preparing the facilities for our other programs as well,” Tria said in a statement.
“All our efforts are geared towards giving Merlions quality education in a safe and conducive environment,” she added.
Tria then assured parents of students that safety measures are being strictly followed as all of its full-time employees are vaccinated against COVID-19, and that it is in close coordination with the Manila Health Department and the Department of Health.
“We have gone beyond the minimum requirements to ensure a safe campus for our students,” she said.
Tria then said that the university will ensure that classrooms are well-ventilated and disinfected at all times and that a staggered and cyclical schedule will be implemented to ensure that students won’t be coming in and dismissed at the same time.
Meanwhile, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases earlier approved CHEd’s proposed phased implementation of physical classes for all programs.
The Phase 1 of the implementation will start in December 2021 while the Phase 2 will commence in January 2022.
Under Phase 1, all higher education institutions (HEIs) in areas under Alert Level 2 may apply for limited in-person classes. In phase 2, all HEIs in areas under Alert Level 3 may apply for limited face-to-face classes.
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