With only 23 percent of schools and 11 percent of students nationwide participating in limited face-to-face classes, a multi-stakeholder group raised concerns about the implementation of in-classroom learning amid the pandemic.

To assess the implementation of limited face-to-face classes, the Movement for Safe, Equitable, Quality, and Relevant (SEQuRe) Education survey with public school teachers who were involved in in-classroom learning.

Data from the Department of Education (DepEd) as of April 4 showed that 13,692 out of more than 60,000 public and private schools nationwide have started implementing limited in-classroom learning.

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https://mb.com.ph/2022/04/04/deped-3-1-million-learners-attend-face-to-face-classes-in-over-13k-schools/

In these schools, the number of learners participating in the limited face-to-face classes amounts to about 3.1 million. This number is out of the 27.2 million who were enrolled for the school year 2021 - 2022.

Extremely low

With this data, SEQuRe Education Movement pointed out that five months since the pilot testing of limited face-to-face classes, the “DepEd has only been able to open about 23 percent of schools nationwide for only about 11 percent of students.”

Based on the results of the survey conducted and released on Thursday, April 21, the SEQuRe Education Movement said that the number of “students who have been brought back to schools for in-classroom learning remains to be extremely low.”

In Metro Manila, for instance, the survey showed that 68 percent of respondents said that only up to five percent of their students were participants in limited face-to-face classes.

All schools in the National Capital Region (NCR), the group added, “only had up to 30 percent of their student population back in school.”

Likewise, in regions outside of NCR, the survey showed that 44 percent of teacher-respondents said that “up to 30 percent of their students are participating in limited in-classroom learning.”

The results of the survey also showed that 18 percent of respondents outside of NCR said that 41 to 70 percent of their students were participating in limited face-to-face classes, while 38 percent said the same for 81 to 100 percent of their students.

However, the group pointed out that “all of whom belong to small to medium schools.”

The survey also showed that 60 percent of respondents from all participating regions said that “only up to 30 percent of their students have returned to school for in-classroom learning 38 percent of whom only have up to five percent of their student population back in school.”

The survey conducted from March 1 to 31 covered 63 out of the 13,692 basic education schools across the country that have opened for limited face-to-face classes since last year.

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