PH kicks off limited face-to-face classes after almost 2 years
By Mai Allauigan and Elaine Diaz
After a 20-month school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines launched the first phase of its two-month pilot testing for limited face-to-face classes last November 15. Expected to run until January 31 next year, the Department of Education (DepEd) included 100 public schools in areas identified to be of low COVID-19 infection rates.
Recognized for being the country with the longest imposed lockdowns, the Philippines is the last country to open its schools after Venezuela resumed its classes last October. However, only students from kindergarten to grade 3 and senior high school were included, based on the guidelines by DepEd and the Department of Health (DOH).
Aside from the 100 public schools, 19 private schools are expected to join the pilot run on November 22.
First Day Happenings
Upon the end of the first day of the pilot implementation, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones regarded the outcome as very successful amidst reports of schools postponing their reopening and calls for concern from regional offices.
Before the launch, participating schools have obtained the consent of parents of students participating in the run. In addition, schools have implemented physical distancing among students’ chairs and installed plastic barriers and triage stations in adherence to the safe reopening of classes.
Upon entry to the school premises, students and teachers were required to check their body temperature, fill out a health declaration form, and wear face masks and IDs with a QR code for contact tracing. Meanwhile, DepEd reduced the class sizes to adhere to the physical distancing protocols and curb the risk of infection among students.
On the other hand, DepEd regional offices and schools have implemented their initiatives, such as providing school supplies and hygiene kits and immediate disinfection of classrooms.
However, three out of the ten pilot schools in Zambales were postponed due to some teachers testing positive for the COVID-19 antigen and awaiting confirmatory results. Nonetheless, Burgos Elementary School, an indigenous peoples’ (IP) school in Botolan, Zambales, successfully pushed through with 85 students during the first day.
Meanwhile, DepEd regional representatives from Northern Mindanao and Central Visayas raised concerns on the sustainability of health resources such as face masks, alcohol, soap, and other essentials stating that it may be insufficient upon expansion of the pilot implementation. Likewise, some schools also faced challenges in the supply of potable water and water for handwashing.
In response, Briones assured DepEd schools on the provision of budget and support for the implementation of the pilot testing stating that other stakeholders such as parent-teacher associations and local government units (LGUs) will contribute to the schools’ needs.
Pilot Testing Strategies
The two-month pilot run is part of the three-phased plan of the government in reopening basic education institutions. The operational guidelines are prepared in coordination with the DOH and support from the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other children’s health organizations.
The first implementation is a blended face-to-face and remote learning setup. A half-day face-to-face class must be conducted every other week, ensuring that all qualified learners can attend face-to-face classes.
Furthermore, strategies were also included to curb the risk of exposure of students. For example, a three-hour maximum stay in the classrooms will be allotted for kindergarten to grade 3 students, while senior high school students will be assigned a maximum of four hours.
On the other hand, DepEd also withdrew its initial statement and stated that COVID-19 vaccination is now required for teaching and non-teaching personnel. Meanwhile, a regular, mandatory COVID-19 test for teachers and students is not yet required, as the swabbing process could be traumatic for young children.
Upon assessment of the first phase in February 2022, an expanded implementation that will include more schools and grade levels to hold in-person classes is expected to start in March that same year. However, some senators expressed concern about the lengthy timeline for the pilot implementation as the 120 target schools are a small portion of the 60, 000 public and private schools in the country.
“How come that it would take us six months to gather more information? My point is if we have this kind of timetable, we’d have two years of school closures,” Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the basic education committee, stated.
In response, DepEd stated that they are in the process of assessing more schools qualified to join the pilot run given the improving COVID-19 situation and the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte. Several LGUs, including those from Metro Manila, also requested an appeal as it is now under Alert Level 2, where limited face-to-face classes are allowed.
“From the latest transmittal of DOH, 484 out of the 638 schools passed their granular risk assessment as minimal or low-risk,” DepEd added. However, the identified schools will be reassessed further for their readiness in the succeeding weeks.
Zones of peace
Netizens called on the attention of the DepEd after photos of police officers sighted in the classrooms of Longos Elementary School in Alaminos City during the first day circulated online.
National President of Kabataan Partylist Raoul Manuel pressed that allowing armed military presence inside school grounds is far more traumatic for the children than testing them for COVID-19.
Although the field report stated that the officers were part of a local government official’s security detail, Mayor Bryan Celeste clarified in a Facebook post that they were instead a part of the security team requested by one of the school’s officials to assist in enforcing the health protocols.
DepEd reminded everyone that all military personnel are prohibited from entering school premises, as stated in the National Policy Framework on Learners and Schools as Zones of Peace or DepEd Order №32.
The executive department asserted that students must feel safe, secured, and nurtured in their learning environments. Moreover, they reiterated that all stakeholders and partners must adhere to the policies set by the schools.
Some organizations, however, pointed out DepEd’s inconsistency in upholding students’ rights. Save Our Schools (SOS) Network volunteer teacher Rose Hayahay and Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) representative France Castro bore that in the same vein, DepEd themselves willingly shuts down Lumad schools and allows its militarization to persist.
Limited F2F for universities
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) recently approved the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) proposal for limited face-to-face classes for all degree programs.
In line with the Joint Memorandum Circular №2021–001, CHED Chairperson Prospero de Vera underlined three main conditions for physical classes: high immunization rates of the students, faculty, and staff; stakeholders’ approval; and retrofitted school facilities.
Alongside these, IATF also said maintaining a 50-percent indoor venue capacity as well as wearing of face masks, physical distancing, and hand sanitation must be proactively pursued.
According to the resolution, Phase 1 will be from December 2021 onwards while Phase 2 will be from January 2022 onwards.
The first phase will accommodate requests of higher education institutions (HEIs) from alert level 2, while the second phase will cater to HEIs from alert level 3.
