Composite image showing commuters packed in jeepneys and waiting for their rides. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
Wary of the potential danger the planned transport strike next week may pose to commuting students, several Metro Manila schools, mostly private, have announced a temporary weeklong shift back to online classes.
The Department of Education (DepEd), however, is taking a big gamble that the weeklong jeepney strike would fizzle out and declared that there will be no suspension of classes in public schools even during the strike.
“On the part of DepEd, there will be no suspension of classes,” Michael Poa, spokesperson for the DepEd, said in a statement on Friday. “Those who will not be able to attend in-person classes should be allowed to continue learning through Alternative Delivery Modes.”
Private schools, on the other hand, are taking no such gamble.
Schedule shuffled
For instance, St. Mary’s Academy in Pasay City shuffled its academic schedule days before examination week, moved forward a scheduled break and announced online classes for all grade school and high school learners.
The Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University were the first to announce it would shift back to online classes, just a few days after the transport group Manibela announced it would stage a transport strike.
On Friday, the University of Santo Tomas announced its shift to online learning and advised the public that in view of the transport strike, all its offices will be closed to onsite clients the entire week starting March 6.
READ: Week-long transport strike on March 6 will continue, says Manibela
The University of the Philippines Diliman campus also issued a circular stating that it would shift to online classes during the strike and instructed department heads to provide transport assistance to its employees.
The Far Eastern University also decided to shift its in-person classes to online in its Manila and Makati campuses.
The Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the Colegio de San Juan de Letran also announced similar changes in its classes for the whole week because of the transport strike.
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