Due to the lack of classrooms and the burgeoning population of students, some schools in Mandaue are adopting a three-shift schedule. | Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — A few public schools in Mandaue City is implementing three shifts of classes to be able to conduct the mandatory five-day, in-person classes.
Today is the first day of the full implementation of full face-to-face classes in all public schools nationwide as stated in order no. 44 of the Department of Education.
In Mandaue City, all 45 public schools were able to implement the order but because of the lack of classrooms in some schools, they are holding three shifts of classes.
These are from 6 a.m to 11 a.m; 11:15 a.m to 4:30 p.m; and 4:30 p.m to 9:30 p.m.
Four schools are implementing three shifts of classes. They are the National High Schools of barangays Canduman, Paknaan, Pagsabungan, and Tipolo.
Flora Ylanan, principal of Canduman National High School, said that it would be very difficult for them if they would not implement three shifts.
Ylanan said that the school has 4,231 students and only has 31 instructional rooms.
Currently, about 40 to 60 students occupy a classroom.
Ylanan said that they do not have space to be able to expand and put up additional classrooms.
She added that because of a lack of classrooms, they utilized the small spaces underneath the stairs and made them into faculty rooms for teachers.
Ylanan said the school experienced the problem even before the pandemic but it worsened during and after COVID-19 as the enrollment increased especially when other private schools closed due to the effect of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, DepEd Mandaue Superintendent Dr. Nimfa Bongo, said that the first day of the full implementation of the five-day, in-person classes went smoothly.
Bongo said that majority of the public schools in the city had already practiced the five-day in-person classes since October. /rcg
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