The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday, Jan. 19, welcomed the strong support and trust expressed by the Office of the President in the expansion of the limited face-to-face classes in basic education amid the pandemic.
Issuing a statement, DepEd said that the high confidence from the President and stakeholders was due to the “successful pilot implementation of face-to-face classes.”
DepEd conducted the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes in 287 public and private schools nationwide from Nov. 15 to Dec. 20, 2021.
Based on the evaluation conducted by the DepEd, the pilot implementation led to “satisfactory results and positive feedback” coming from learners, teachers, and parents.
DepEd said that the pilot run was “successful” because there was no recorded confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case among the 15,683 learners who participated in the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes. Aside from this, DepEd also observed a high level of attendance and performance among learner participants during the pilot run.
“Our stakeholders felt safe against the virus throughout the implementation and were highly satisfied with the implementation of health and safety protocols and teaching and learning improvements brought by the face-to-face classes,” DepEd said.
Moreover, DepEd said that the implementation also inculcated a “culture of shared responsibility” among the national government, parents and learners, the Local Government Units (LGUs), teachers, school officials and staff, and other stakeholders to ensure everyone’s safety and welfare.
Given this, DepEd also thanked the Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for “assisting us in developing a responsive operational guideline on face-to-face learning delivery.”
DepEd also expressed gratitude to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for encouraging LGUs to support the pilot implementation.
The agency also recognized the contribution of DepEd personnel, external partners, and parents of learners for their “cooperation to make this initial pilot of physical classes a successful one.”
DepEd said that moving forward, it will continue its efforts in support of the vaccination drive of the national government --- noting that immunization is still “a key element in boosting the confidence” of community members for the return of face-to-face classes.
Equipped with valuable lessons from the pilot phase, DepEd also called on stakeholders to continue our Bayanihan as “we look to ensure that more learners and teachers can experience a safe return to in-person learning.”
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2022/01/17/deped-eyes-expansion-of-face-to-face-classes-in-february-for-vaxxed-personnel-students/