The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is seeking the approval of President Duterte to allow more college programs to conduct limited face-to-face classes in the country.
Higher Education Chairperson J. Prospero E. De Vera said during the President's public address aired on Saturday, Sept. 11, that they are planning to expand the coverage of the limited face-to-face classes in three main areas namely: engineering, hotel and restaurant management, and maritime programs.
"Ito lang po muna ang uunahin natin kasi dito kailangan talaga ng skills lalo na si engineering (We are prioritizing these programs because these need skills, especially in engineering)," De Vera said.
De Vera emphasized that there is also an urgency for maritime schools to conduct limited face-to-face classes after international maritime companies wrote to maritime schools in the Philippines saying that they might opt to give the slots of Filipino seafarers to other countries if the students are not allowed to board ships.
"So mayroon pong urgency na payagan natin sila kasi kung hindi ho maka-shipboard, hindi maka-train sa barko yung ating mga estudyante, sila po’y hindi makakakuha ng --- hindi makaka-graduate at hindi po makakasakay sa mga barko sa labas (So there really is an urgency to allow them because if the students would not be able to board and train in ships, they will lose the opportunity of working in international ships)," De Vera explained.
The proposal was endorsed to the interagency task force (IATF) three weeks ago and a letter has been sent to the President.
"Ligtas naman po, mahigpit ang ating guidelines, 24 pages na guidelines na ginawa ng CHED at DOH (Department of Health). Wala pa pong namamatay, wala pang naoospital. Sisiguruhin ho namin na kung papayagan n'yo itong mga ito, ganoon din po kababa ‘yung infection level (We ensure that this is safe. Our 24-page guidelines crafted by the CHED and DOH are strict. There has been no death and no one has been hospitalized. We will ensure that if this is approved, the low level of infection will be maintained," De Vera said.
From January to August this year, the infection level of students attending limited face-to-face classes is at 0.3 percent while faculty members have 1.4 percent infection level. All of them were mild and asymptomatic, the chair said.
There are currently 13,000 students authorized to attend limited face-to-face classes in areas under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ) where there are COVID-19 hospitals.
More than 1,000 faculty members, on the other hand, were authorized to hold face-to-face classes.
Of this, close to 10,000 students and all faculty members engaged in the limited face-to-face classes have been vaccinated, according to CHED.