FACE-TO-FACE classes in all public and private schools in Metro Manila and other areas under COVID-19 Alert Levels 1 and 2 will resume next week, according to the Department of Education.
In all, 6,686 schools nationwide, 100 of them private schools, that have passed the School Safety Assessment Tool (SSAT) conducted by the DepEd are set to resume classes.
DepEd said 304 public schools are located at areas placed under Alert Level 2 by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) from February 1 until 15. These include 118 schools in the National Capital Region, 12 in Batanes, 106 in Bulacan, 33 in Cavite, 21 in Rizal, 5 in Biliran, and 9 in Southern Leyte.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones issued the directive for the resumption of in-person classes yesterday after President Duterte approved last month the agency’s recommendation for the progressive expansion of face-to-face classes.
Twenty-eight schools in Metro Manila that held limited face-to-face classes last year will resume in-person classes on February 9, along with the other NCR schools included in the expansion phase.
All schools are currently on their mid-year break for the 2021-2022 school calendar.
The DepEd said that while the third academic quarter is set to start on February 7, certain areas may resume their classes on a later date, among them areas hardest hit by the Omicron surge and areas devastated by Typhoon Odette.
In a statement, the DepEd said that aside from being in Alert Levels 1 and 2 areas, schools can resume in-person classes only if they have passed the SSAT and have secured the green light from the local government units where they are located.
Only students who have the written consent of their parents can participate in face-to-face classes to be held only by vaccinated teachers, the DepEd added.
Schools that have not passed the assessment test conducted need to first address their deficiencies to be able to hold in-person classes.
While classes in Metro Manila are set to start on February 9, classes in 12 schools in Batanes will start on February 7 while in-person classes are set to start on February 21 in 106 schools in Bulacan.
Twenty-one schools in Rizal and 36 in Cavite are set to resume classes on February 14 while three schools in Southern Leyte will start classes on February 7. Seven schools in Maasin City and six schools in Biliran City are set to resume classes on February 14.
The DepEd said the rest of the regions are continuing their preparations for the expanded phase of face-to-face classes in anticipation of improvement in the COVID alert level in their areas.
