1.7K private school learners join F2F classes pilot run

MANILA – A total of 1,732 learners have participated in the pilot of limited face-to-face classes in private schools so far, the Department of Education (DepEd) said Tuesday.

In an online media forum, DepEd Bureau of Curriculum Development Director Jocelyn Andaya said some 555 learners from Kindergarten to Grade 3 (K-3) and 1,177 Senior High School learners have attended limited in-person classes as of Tuesday.

“Tinanong ko sila kung bakit pumayag pumasok, sabi ng K-3, sabik na silang makasama ang kanilang mga kaklase at guro. Sa Senior High School naman, gusto nilang mas matuto pa mula sa kanilang mga guro (I asked them why they agreed to go to school, the K-3 leaders said they long to be with their classmates and teachers. For the senior high students, they want to learn more from their teachers),” Andaya said.

Meantime, 218 teachers and 157 non-teaching personnel in private schools reported for duty so far.

Only 18 out of 20 listed private schools pushed through with the opening of limited in-person classes.

Singapore School Clark and Xavier University Senior High School deferred their class opening because their academic calendars would start in January 2022.

Upon visiting two private schools for the pilot run on Monday, Andaya noted learners had to be reminded to wear face masks and observe social distancing all the time.

She added continuous monitoring must be done to ensure that all protocols are observed by the private schools.

“Makakakalap po tayo ng mas maraming datos (We’ll be able to gather more data) after the first week of implementation,” she added.