Face-to-face classes back in 177 schools in Central Visayas

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CEBU CITY, Philippines – Close to 500 schools in Central Visayas, and counting, will be returning to the traditional way of teaching within the year.

The Department of Education in the region (DepEd-7) confirmed that at least 484 schools were already given the go-signal to implement face-to-face classes albeit in a limited capacity. 

Of this number, at least 177 have already started the limited in-person classes, including the 10 schools that joined the pilot implementation last November 2021, Dr. Salustiano Jimenez, DepEd-7 director, said. 

This March 8, an additional 108 schools from Cebu province, particularly those from the cities of Bogo, Danao, Toledo, will also follow suit. 

The rest, Jimenez added, are still waiting for their Safety Seal from DepEd-7’s Quality Assurance Division which will allow them to conduct face-to-face classes. 

“We are going in that direction (of returning to face-to-face classes). A total of 474 schools will be doing the limited face-to-face classes plus the 10 from the pilot implementation. So that brings our total to 484 schools,” said Jimenez.

“And we’re still counting because as of this moment, we’re still conducting validating their applications, and the release of the Safety Seals are already ongoing,” he added. 

Safety Seal

Schools looking to return to in-person classes need to secure the Safety Seal from regional offices of DepEd before they can actually start welcoming back students and teachers. 

“Once they already have their Safety Seal, they can immediately proceed with the limited face-to-face class,” Jimenez continued.

The current set-up in a limited face-to-face class is still the same as the one introduced last November 15, 2021. 

This meant that in pre-school levels, only a maximum of 12 learners will be allowed per session, 15 for Grades 1 to 3, and 20 for Grades 4 to 6 and all levels in high school. 

In addition, teachers are mandated to complete their COVID-19 vaccine schedule before they can return teaching inside classrooms. 

Safety is Still Priority

DepEd-7, in the meantime, assured parents, teachers, and students that while they are aiming for schools to return to the traditional way of teaching, safety remains a priority. 

“Safety is still the number one priority. We can give that assurance to our parents. And for our teachers, we ask them to always observe protocols set by the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease) and DOH (Department of Health),” added Jimenez.

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