Senior high school students at Taliptip National High School in Bulakan, Bulacan attend the first day of the second semester as the school resumed on Monday its in-person classes two years after community quarantines due to COVID-19 forced the closure of schools. (Photo by Carmela Reyes-Estrope)
BULAKAN, Bulacan — Over 5,000 students from 44 public schools in Bulacan province returned to their classrooms as limited in-person classes resumed on Monday (Feb. 21), two years after they were forced to undergo distant learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zenia Mostoles, Bulacan schools division superintendent, said the students were all fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and belonged to various high schools in 19 of the 24 localities in the province..
“Only a maximum of 20 students will be allowed in each classroom where they will spend three to four hours of classes daily every other week,” Mostoles told the Inquirer in a phone interview on Monday.
Mostoles said 65 other mostly elementary level schools in the province were also given the clearance to proceed with the limited in-person classes after undergoing assessment, validation and inspection by officials of the Department of Education recently.
She, however, said they were forced to postpone the resumption of the in-person classes in elementary schools following a directive from Gov. Daniel Fernando that unvaccinated students would be barred from returning to school.
The province only began its pediatric vaccination program for children 5 to 11 years old on Feb. 14
“There is no cancellation of classes [for the remaining 65 schools] . We only deferred the classes for students who have yet to get vaccinated against COVID-19,” Mostoles said.
Theresa Garcia, principal at Taliptip National High School in this town, said the school welcomed back 40 senior high school students.
“This is a very significant moment. We’re excited and overjoyed to see our students in person after a long time,” Garcia said in a separate interview.
Garcia said the classes at Taliptip would be held daily in the morning every other week.
According to Jovita Ignacio, a teacher at Taliptip, the eligible schools have been fitted with wash areas, barriers and temperature stations to ensure the safety of the students and teachers.
She said parents were also required to complete consent forms signifying that they allowed their children to go to school.
Kenneth Marcelo, 18, a senior high school student at Taliptip, said he was elated to return to school, describing online classes as “stressful” since he had to struggle with the high cost of Internet connection.