FACE-TO-FACE classes in universities and colleges may soon be allowed but will be subject to a “case to case’’ approval, National Task Force (NTF) against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said yesterday.
“This is what we call a face-to-face classes on case to case basis,” Galvez said during the Laging Handa public briefing.
Galvez and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman Prospero de Vera III on Tuesday inspected the facilities of the Our Lady of Fatima University in Valenzuela City which had been upgraded to make it safer and more responsive to the needs of students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said certain conditions may be asked before a school could qualify to hold face-to-face classes like meeting health standard protocols and providing courses that may be related to the health sector.
He said the country needs more health workers especially with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We saw that there are courses that are really important to have, an experiential learning of what we call face-to-face,” he said.
In the past weeks, the IATF had approved the resumption of in-person medical internship program at the University of the Philippines.
Galvez said the IATF would also coordinate with Education Secretary Leonor Briones on the possibility of reconfiguring schools to make it more compliant to the health standards and ensure the safety of the students in anticipation of face-to-face classes in the future.
President Duterte had opposed the holding of face-to-face cases until a vaccine for the COVID-19 is available. He had also one said that resuming face-to-face classes may happen in January 2021.
Students in elementary and secondary schools are currently receiving education through a blended learning system composed of using printed self learning modules, online classes and television- based instruction.
