Limited F2F classes in Cebu City urban schools smooth so far, says district supervisor

Pupils attending limited face-to-face classes at the Cebu City Central School. | Delta Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The implementation of the limited face-to-face (F2F) classes in the urban barangays in Cebu City has been smooth so far.

This was the statement of Doctor Liberato Lauranilla, one of the district supervisors for the Department of Education (DepEd) Cebu City division, on May 31, 2022, a day after the start of the limited F2F in the urban schools.

Lauranilla oversees the Cebu City Central School, the Abellana National High School, Ermita Elementary and National High Schools, and other schools mostly in the central part of the city.

So far, the first and second day of classes have been smooth sailing in the urban schools, with learners eager to go back to a classroom setting.

“Ang mga ginikinan, mga bata, ang mga teachers, excited kaayo sa pag open sa face-to-face,” said Lauranilla.

(Parents, kids, and teachers are very excited for the opening of face-to-face classes.)

The City Central School was finally back to being a school again after being used as an isolation center for COVID-19 positive patients for two years during the pandemic.

“Lahi raman gyod kon mag face-to-face kaysa sa modular approach. Mao na karon, atong mga ginikanan, sayo nila gihatod ilang mga bata, nya ila rapud balikon igka pamuhi,” he added.

(Face-to-face classses is really different from the modular approach. That’s why now, parents eagerly bring their kids to school early. They also come back to pick them up after classes.)

She said classes being at 7:30 a.m. and end at 12 noon.

Only one section per level holds face-to-face classes at the City Central School with 10 pupils each in the lower grades from kindergarten to Grade 3, and 15 pupils each in the higher grades or from Grade 4 to Grade 6.

On Tuesday, CDN Digital noticed kindergarten students learning their alphabet in a classroom with the teacher supervising them In the next room, Grade 1 students were  focused on writing exercises during a lecture.

Lauranilla said that these types of teaching benefit best the students because they see their teachers face-to-face and they can ask questions, participate, integrate, and socialize in the classroom.

He is hopeful that in the next school year this August or September 2022, all students could return to class in classrooms.

“Ang atong hangyo sa mga ginikanan, observe lang ta sa health protocols. Sa katong wala pa nabakunahan nga bata, pabakanuhan lang gyod nato sila para maapil sa sila sa F2F classes ‘rung August,” he said.

(To our parents, let’s continue to observe health protocols. To those kids who are not vaccinated yet, let’s have htem vaccinated so that they can join face-to-face classes this August.)

/bmjo

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