Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 6) — President Rodrigo Duterte “may allow” the pilot testing of face-to-face classes in areas with low COVID-19 cases, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Monday.
“Ang inisyal na reaksyon ng Presidente, kung talagang pilot at sa mga areas na mababa talaga ang kaso, he may allow it,” he said in a briefing.
[Translation: The initial reaction of the President was he may allow it if it is a pilot test and it will only be in areas with very low COVID-19 cases.]
“Pero dapat pilot muna in areas na mababa talaga ang kaso (But the pilot should be done in areas with low cases), just so that we could see if it works, if it can be implemented in other areas,” Roque added.
Duterte has approved in December last year the pilot implementation of in-person classes in January. He recalled the decision last February, as the national vaccination program has yet to be launched.
Roque said the implementation of face-to-face classes has “ceased to be a purely education issue.”
“It is a multi-disciplinary issue now involving the Health department because of mental health issues,” he said. “As well as an economic problem, because we are dealing with a generation that could possibly be lost as a result of hybrid na ini-implement natin [of the hybrid classes that we are implementing].”
A number of Inter-Agency Task Force members are expected to present to the President the advantages of resuming onsite classes especially in low-risk areas.
The Department of Education said Monday that some 120 schools nationwide will be part of the pilot test should Duterte give the approval.
It added that the dry run will cover kindergarten to Grade 3 levels, with a proposed class size of 12 to 16 students and class hours of up to three hours.
Senators earlier questioned DepEd for its supposed lack of urgency in gradually resuming face-to-face classes even as some countries have returned to a physical classroom setup.
