Universities and colleges that are eyeing to reopen face-to-face classes for the degree programs they offer are encouraged by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to retrofit their facilities and revise their curriculum.
CHED Chairman Popoy De Vera, during a virtual press briefing on Aug. 27, said that retrofitting of facilities to ensure the safety of students as well as revising the curriculum to make it more flexible are among the keys to reopening of limited face-to-face classes in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/14/flexible-learning-is-the-future-of-ph-higher-education-ched-says/
“A joint circular to check the retrofitting and a Flexible Learning curriculum that is discipline or degree-based are very crucial for HEIs to be allowed to hold limited face-to-face classes especially for medicine and allied health courses,” De Vera said in a mix of English and Filipino.
De Vera, who has been visiting various HEIs nationwide, observed that some HEIs are “reluctant” to retrofit their facilities because this might lead to additional costs.
“It’s not expensive,” De Vera said, noting that retrofitting should focus on “redesigning the facilities to make it safe” for students and the faculty.
De Vera also clarified that the number of students is not used as a basis for an HEI to be allowed to offer limited face-to-face classes. “When you retrofit a classroom, the number of students allowed in the laboratories is dependent on the size of the room,” he said.
He also explained that classroom sizes and the designs of laboratories vary from one school to another. “In the guidelines, what is inspected is the distancing of individuals,” De Vera said.
When CHED Regional Offices along with DOH inspect the HEIs that have applied to reopen limited face-to-face classes, De Vera said that the guidelines as stated in the CHED-DOH joint circular are being followed.
During the inspection, De Vera said that the “direction of the movement of students and faculty members so they will not be very close to each other” is looked at.
The airflow inside the room is also important, De Vera said, as well as the directional signs within the hall building and within the classroom.
There should also be alcohol or disinfectant in conspicuous places as well as the signages and instructions given to students and faculty.
“That is what it inspected, not the number of students,” he added.
Based on the guidelines of CHED and DOH, De Vera noted that the HEIs should also be able to respond properly when a student or a faculty gets infected. Coordination with the local government units (LGUs) for contract tracing and other related matters should also be in place.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/02/12/ched-doh-issue-guidelines-for-limited-face-to-face-classes-at-the-tertiary-level/
In particular, De Vera commended the Universidad de Zamboanga (UZ) – College of Dentistry at UZ Laboratories Building, Tetuan, Zamboanga City for being the ‘new benchmark’ for safe reopening of face-to-face classes in HEIs.
Likewise, De Vera said that HEIs need to revise their curriculum that would offer Flexible Learning options. “Flexibility in the curriculum to serve as a guide to HEIs,” he added.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/21/there-is-no-going-back-ched-says-flexible-learning-is-here-to-stay/
So far, only HEIs that offer medical and allied health sciences are allowed to hold limited face-to-face classes.
Pending the approval of President Duterte, De Vera said that limited face-to-face classes might be expanded to Engineering, Maritime and Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) soon.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/28/ched-optimistic-that-more-heis-will-be-allowed-to-hold-limited-face-to-face-classes/