To ensure that the education system is ready, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH) have jointly develop guidelines for the eventual resumption of classes for basic education.
During the Laging Handa public briefing on Monday, July 19, DepEd Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Nepomuceno Malaluan said that the department has ongoing initiatives in anticipation of the time when President Duterte will allow pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes and if this can be expanded.
“Hindi dahil wala pang approval ang Pangulo ay tumitigil ang Department of Education sa paghahanda to the eventuality of face-to-face classes (The Department of Education has been preparing eventuality of face-to-face classes while awaiting approval from the President),” Malaluan said.
Malaluan explained that DepEd and the DOH have been developing the guidelines for the possible resumption of in-person classes. He said that the two departments have agreed on the guidelines and this will be jointly issued once available.
The said guidelines, Malaluan said, have already been presented by DepEd and DOH to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).
“Itong mga guidelines na ito na very, very stringent para maisuguro iyong proteksiyon ng mga mag-aaral natin at saka iyong kahandaan ng mga paaralan (These guidelines are very, very stringent to ensure the protection of our students and also the readiness of the schools),” Malaluan said.
What’s in the guidelines?
The joint guidelines, Malaluan said, is a a combination of education objectives as well as public health standards.
Malaluan said that the guidelines cover many aspects - from engineering controls and administrative controls to social distancing, among others.
“Limited lamang ito at parang kasama pa rin blended at distance learning until such time na talagang ligtas ng makalabas ang ating mga bata (These will be limited and blended and distance learning will still be included until such time that the children will be allowed to safely go out),” Malaluan said.
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https://mb.com.ph/2021/07/19/deped-eyes-100-schools-for-pilot-study-of-limited-face-to-face-classes-amid-covid-19-pandemic/