While it managed to provide opportunities for students amid a school year filled with challenges due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation in the country, the Department of Education (DepEd) maintained that the conduct of physical classes is still necessary for the overall growth of learners.

“We recognize that face-to-face classes remain a necessity for education since the social aspect of learning cannot be fully replaced by distance learning modalities,” DepEd said in a statement issued to the Manila Bulletin on Tuesday, March 16.

Given this, DepEd said that planning and preparation for the possible resumption of face-to-face classes are currently ongoing. “Based on our continuous stakeholder consultations and dialogue, this sentiment is shared by most of our learners, who are already looking forward to studying once more at the safe confines of their schools,” DepEd said.

Despite this, DepEd said it remains “firmly dedicated to provide a safe environment for our children in schools once the President approves the pilot testing for limited face-to-face classes in low-risk areas.”

Last December, DepEd recommended to the President to allow the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face to classes in January 2021.

However, it did not push due to the concerns on new COVID-19 variants in the country.

“The pilot will give vital insights for the final recommendation for any broader resumption of face-to-face classes,” DepEd said.

As it awaits for the approval from the President, DepEd said it has “been closely coordinating with our national and local authorities and health experts, parents, teachers, and service providers to ensure proper communication of our preparation procedures for the eventuality of having physical classes as one of the learning modalities.”

DepEd added that it is also preparing for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout “for our teachers and employees to protect them from infection.”