ISABELA -- The Schools Division Office of Isabela is set for the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face (F2F) classes under a safe learning environment particularly in low-risk areas in the province.

Schools Division Superintendent Madelyn Macalling said this during the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's (PDRRMC) first quarter meeting on Feb. 23, 2022 at the Provincial Capitol Amphitheater.

Macalling explained that limited face-to-face classes will address the difficulty in monitoring and assessing learning progress remotely.

It will also allow the resumption of activities that cannot be done at home, such as the workshop requirements in the Tech-Voc Track.

Out of 1,062 schools, eight schools (seven public and one private) were declared compliant for the expanded implementation of limited F2F classes and will be considered as soon as alert levels are downgraded in the province.

This was the report of the Department of Education (DepEd) Regional Office Validation Team which reviewed and validated the schools' readiness and preparations.

According to a report from the Isabela Provincial Infromation Office, the schools in SDO-Isabela that will offer F2F classes are: Ugad Elementary School, Tumauini North (K to 3); San Vicente Elementary School, Tumauini North (K to 3); Dolores Integrated School, Quirino (K to 3); San Juan Elementary School, Quirino (K to 3) Mataas na Kahoy Elementary School, Alicia North (K to 3); Dicamay Integrated School, San Mariano 2 (K to 3); Quezon National High School, Quezon (Senior High) and The Rainbow Learning Center, San Mateo North (K to 3).

Provincial Administrator Atty. Noel Manuel Lopez stressed that the most basic measures given by DepEd to allow limited F2F classes is “kung saan walang COVID-19 case.” (Where there are no COVID-19 cases.)

It is under the discretion for SDS to evaluate not only the schools but also the school environment or the community where the school is located.

“Of the eight sites, only one would pass the criteria of at least 80 percent fully-vaccinated. All the other municipalities are within the range of 70 percent pababa, which means we are not ready even if it is a limited face-to-face class. We are not yet ready because the community where this limited face-to-face schooling will be done fares very low as far as vaccination is concerned. Hindi naman pwedeng tumalon yung bata diretso doon sa upuan sa classroom. Dadaanan pa rin niya yung community. Kung yung community niya ngayon is mababa ang vaccination rate, hindi dapat pwede na magkaroon ng face to face learning. Ma-exposed yung bata doon sa community (The children can't just go straight to the classrooms. He belongs to the community and that community must have achieved a high vaccination rate. If his community has a low vaccination rate, then face-to-face learning is not possible),” Lopez explained.

He reminded the SDS that as a fundamental requirement, all teachers must not only be fully-vaccinated but must have received their booster shots.

Macalling said that to date, none of these schools has officially started F2F as SDO-Isabela is still waiting for the approval of Gov. Rodito Albano III.

“We will not proceed with the implementation (of F2F if we did not get any nod. We will not sacrifice the health of our learners,” she said.

President Rodrigo Duterte approved the expansion of limited physical classes in areas under Alert Levels 1 and 2.

From February 16 to 28, 2022, the province of Isabela will be under Alert Level 2, the second most lenient status of the five-tier alert level system.