By Joseph B.A. Marzan
Fifty basic education schools in the Western Visayas region are being recommended for the pilot-testing of face-to-face classes in January 2021 amid the continuing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the country, according to the Department of Education-Region 6 (DepEd-6).
President Rodrigo Duterte on Dec. 14 approved the recommendation of the DepEd Central Office to conduct pilot-testing of face-to-face classes under the so-called “new normal.”
According to a post on DepEd’s official Facebook page, four conditions must be followed for the pilot testing:
-voluntary going to school by the learner with a written consent of the parents or guardians;
-the school must be in a low-risk area or Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ);
-the DepEd, the Local Government Unit (LGU), and the parents or guardians; and
-the sure preparedness of the school in the implementation of the pilot-testing (risk classification, shared responsibility, management plan for learners and classrooms, and observance of health protocols at home, at school, and while travelling vice-versa).
DepEd-6 spokesperson Lea Belleza told Daily Guardian in a phone interview that 50 schools in the region are included in their latest list of schools recommended for pilot-testing.
According to Belleza, the 50 schools, more than half of which are elementary schools in Negros Occidental, were recommended by the Schools Division Offices (SDO) in the region.
She said that the schools on their list will still need to meet several requirements, such as consultations with LGUs, parental consent and consultation, and the COVID-19 risk classification of the areas.
She added that the areas’ transportation systems and presence of clinics within the schools are also being taken into consideration for the pilot testing.
Schools from the city and province of Iloilo are not yet included in DepEd-6’s list for pilot-testing, except for one – Mulapula National High School in Passi City.
Contrary to reports that more than 100 schools in Iloilo province have also signed up for the pilot-testing, Belleza clarified that these were also recommendations which are being considered by the Division of Iloilo province.
DepEd-Iloilo spokesperson Leonil Salvilla told Radyo Pilipinas on Dec. 16 that 119 schools from 22 LGUs in the province had been recommended to the DepEd Central Office.
Belleza also clarified on Monday that the recommendation still needs to go through DepEd regional office.
DepEd-Iloilo City Schools Division Superintendent Ma. Luz De Los Reyes told Daily Guardian in a text on Monday that public schools in the city will not accommodate the pilot-testing program, citing the ongoing COVID-19 risks and opposition from Mayor Jerry Treñas.
As to the readiness of the facilities, Belleza said that schools are allowed to acquire their health resources through their Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE).
