A HUNDRED public schools nationwide reopened Monday, November 15, to students as the country started the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes.
This is the first time for students to attend in-person classes after almost two years of distance learning due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, which started in March 2020.
In a statement Monday, November 15, the Department of Education (DepEd) welcomed the participating students, teachers and personnel of about 100 public schools and thanked everyone who supported the return of in-person classes.
“We are thankful to everyone who supported this key phase in our safe return to school advocacy, from the planning stage since 2020 to this monumental day,” DepEd said.
“We are grateful to the assistance of the Department of Health (DOH), the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force), child health experts, local government units, international and local partners, school personnel, parents, and other stakeholders for reinforcing our shared responsibility framework in this critical undertaking,” it added.
DepEd said it is happy to see the students inside the classrooms again, stressing the importance of face-to-face learning in the children’s social development.
The agency said more learners in public and private schools will follow suit, as President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the increase in the number of participants for the pilot implementation.
DepEd appealed to the public to always follow the health protocols and standards, saying “with everyone’s help in improving our country’s Covid-19 situation, our vision to safely reopen more schools nationwide is not a far reality.”
“Together, let us mark this day as our leap of faith towards realizing Ligtas na Balik-Eskwela!” it said.
DepEd said earlier that it will evaluate the pilot implementation of in-person classes after January 31, and submit a report to Duterte. (SunStar Philippines)