MANILA (UCAN): The Philippine government’s Department of Education said 30 government-run schools will begin conducting face-to-face classes in November, in areas of the country where Covid-19 coronavirus [SARS-CoV-2] cases are considered to have been brought under control.
“We will begin opening classes but these classes are called pilot classes based on the preparedness of schools. The pilot scheme will run for two months and will be closely monitored,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said on October 18.
However, the Knights of the Altar of Malate Catholic Church in Manila, and Knights of Columbus of the San Fernando Diocese in Pampanga province, said children should first be inoculated against Covid-19 before allowing them to enter crowded places like a classroom.
But, Briones said, “If the pilot proves to be safe and effective, then we will gradually increase openings, but what’s important is we are monitoring our risk assessment. We will stop it if there are changes in the risk assessment.”
She said that only fully vaccinated teachers wearing masks and face shields will be allowed inside classrooms and that transparent plastic dividers will separate teachers from their students.
“We need to maintain social or physical distancing inside the classroom. Even eating together is not allowed,” Briones said.
“Only the teachers are fully vaccinated … How about the children? The government has just started vaccinating children this month and we will be exposing them to the virus in November?” the Knights of the Altar asked in a Facebook post.
The two Catholic groups said that they were all for face-to-face learning but protecting the health of children must be the priority.
“We acknowledge the disadvantages of having online classes. They are no match for personal classes. But at this time we need to be prudent. We need to make sure everyone, both teachers and students, is fully vaccinated, otherwise we could be doing more harm than good,” Darius Ortega of the Knights of Columbus, said.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
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Briones said that the number of schools conducting face-to-face classes would increase in areas where the Covid situation improves and safety measures are implemented.
According to UNICEF, the Philippines is one of 17 countries where schools have remained shut throughout the pandemic.
The prolonged shutdown has sparked fears of an education crisis in the Philippines, where most children lack the equipment needed to conduct online learning [0 September 26]. These fears have prompted the move to try and get children back in school as soon as is safely possible.
Originally, 59 schools considered for the scheme but only 30 were chosen, the Education Department said.
Those rejected did not pass health protocols and requirements laid down by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
As of October 21, the country had reported a total of 2,735,369 cases, 40,977 deaths and 2,627,331 recoveries. The Department of Health reported 642 new Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila and 3,656 new cases across the nation, according to the Inquirer.
