Two schools in the City of Manila commenced their pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes simultaneously with 26 other selected schools in Metro Manila on Monday, Dec. 6.
In Aurora A. Quezon Elementary School, a total of 60 students participated in face-to-face classes; 12 in Kindergarten, and 16 students each in Grades 1 to 3.
In Ramon Avanceña High School, 15 students from the Grade 12 Technical-Vocational-Livelihood strand attended the pilot run.
According to ABS-CBN News, the high school will utilize a mobile-based QR scanning system where the QR codes placed in the students’ IDs are scanned for attendance and used to message their parents or guardians about their status.
Kindergarten students will attend classes for three hours, while Grade 1 to Grade 3 pupils will attend for four hours in Aurora Quezon Elementary School. Classes end after lunch at Ramon Avanceña High School.
According to Division of City Schools Head Dr. Magdalena Lim, the two schools in Manila City will undergo pilot testing for one month, unlike the regular two months mandated by the Department of Education (DepEd), to make way for a different set of schools in January.
The students will attend face-to-face classes every other week, and will resume online classes in between.
Every student is required to wear face masks and face shields at all times, to have a body temperature check before entering the school, and to wash their hands frequently at the available handwashing stations. Other safety precautions being implemented are the plastic barriers taped around each desk, alcohol bottles placed on the desks, physical distancing markers on the floor, and separate entrance and exit lanes.
The facilities in both Aurora A. Quezon Elementary and Ramon Avanceña High School were prepared and inspected as early as October for the pilot testing implementation.
Vice Mayor Dr. Honey Lacuna visited the two schools accompanied by Rep. Yul Servo-Nieto and Division of City Schools Head Dr. Magdalena Lim.
Lacuna stressed the importance of the pilot testing sessions in fostering social interactions among students and in providing a safe and effective environment for learning.
"Ia-assure natin ang mga magulang na we'll be following strict protocols para sa mga anak nila para protektado po sila sa face-to-face classes (We will assure the parents that we are following strict protocols so that their children are protected during the conduct of face-to-face classes)," Lacuna added. (Khriscielle Yalao)