80 pupils join Day 1 of in-person classes at Alaminos City coastal community

The Longos Elementary School in Alaminos City, Pangasinan, is one of the 100 schools nationwide piloted for face-to-face classes after schools closed for almost two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo courtesy of Susan Yadao)

DAGUPAN CITY––Eighty pupils of the Longos Elementary School at the far-flung coastal community in Alaminos City, Pangasinan province, returned Monday to their classrooms as the Department of Education began its in-person classes nationwide.

Alaminos City Schools Superintendent Lorna Bugayong said only Kindergarten to Grade 3 pupils would be attending the face-to-face classes.

“Each grade was divided into two groups that will attend morning and afternoon sessions,” Bugayong told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

Bugayong said the school was selected for the pilot project because of its “low risk” classification.

City Mayor Arth Bryan Celeste said there were only four active cases in the city as of Monday.

He said face-to-face classes are the “most effective” learning method in the community, where almost everyone belongs to the informal sector and could hardly teach the young students.

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