97.5% of public schools now hold in-person classes

FIRST DAY A teacher and her students at Apas High School, one of the public high schools in Cebu City, attend the first day of in-person classes on Aug. 22. A number of private schools in Central Visayas, including those in Cebu City, are asking the Department of Education not to require them to go into full in-person classes by Nov. 2 because of the continuing threat of COVID-19. —DALE ISRAEL

Almost all public schools nationwide have returned to the five-day face-to-face classes setup following the Department of Education’s (DepEd) mandatory implementation of full in-person classes by Nov. 2. DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa told reporters on Monday that 97.5 percent of 47,000 public schools have implemented full in-person classes while 2.36 percent were still under blended learning, or a combination of distance and face-to-face classes. Based on the latest data, at least 324 schools sustained damages due to the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng” (international name: Nalgae) while 435 schools nationwide were still being used as evacuation centers. In the National Capital Region, regional director Wilfredo Cabral cited classroom congestion and shifting classes as among the challenges encountered in schools. In Zamboanga Peninsula, regional director Ruth Fuentes said the onslaught of Paeng became a major challenge in the region. Out of more than 300 schools, 58 schools were damaged and after almost one week, 18 schools have yet to implement face-to-face classes, she said.

—Jane Bautista