Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 18) — On-the-job trainings or internships can push through online at the start of the coming semester, then gradually shift to limited face-to-face sessions, the Commission on Higher Education said Saturday.
This “flexible” setup is being studied by CHED for the resumption of classes in August, its executive director, Cinderella Filipina Benitez-Jaro said in an online media briefing.
“Ibig sabihin yung mga parte na kaya nating gawin na online… wala pa namang skills based, wala pa naman na nangangailangan ng limited face-to-face classes ay gawin sa pagsisimula ng pag-open ng academic year,” Benitez-Jaro said.
[Translation: This means the parts that can be done online, those that are not skills-based and do not call for limited face-to-face classes, can be done at the start of the academic year.]
“Tapos, yung mga kailangan talaga ng limitadong face-to-face classes, doon natin ilagay sa dulo o kaya naman sa latter part of the semester,” she added.
[Translation: And then, those that require limited face-to-face classes can be done by the end or the latter part of the semester.]
CHED, along with the Department of Education, earlier proposed to President Rodrigo Duterte the conduct of limited face-to-face classes in low-risk areas or those under modified general community quarantine. This recommendation was also endorsed by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, but the President, who has the final say, has not yet made his decision.
CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera also suggested that the first semester of college courses could focus on theory-based subjects, while the second semester should be devoted on laboratory courses or those that require fieldwork.
Classes are set to resume on August 24, with Education Secretary Leonor Briones saying they are ready to do so “in whatever form.” If classes are conducted online, many students are at risk of being left behind due to lack of the required resources, but physical classes could result in further spread of the coronavirus disease, which has infected more than 63,000 people nationwide.
Some groups are calling for an “academic freeze,” but the government has not made it an option.
