DepEd releases list of 59 schools for F2F classes’ pilot run

MANILA – The Department of Education on Wednesday released the list of 59 schools that will participate in the pilot of face-to-face (F2F) classes on November 15.

In a statement, the agency said the listed schools were selected from 638 nominated schools nationwide.

“Ang mga napiling paaralan ay masusing sinuri ng DOH [Department of Health] Epidemiology Bureau at kinilalang minimal o low risk, base sa Alert Levels ng mga probinsya o highly urbanized cities (HUC) o independent component cities (ICC) at risk category ng munisipalidad at siyudad (The chosen schools were inspected by the DOH Epidemiology Bureau and were recognized minimal or low risk, based on the Alert Levels of provinces or HUCs or ICCs and risk category of the municipality or city),” it added.

During a hearing of the Senate basic education committee Wednesday, DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said the pilot classes will cover Kindergarten to Grade 3 learners without existing comorbidities.

As for Senior High School students, only those taking subjects that require laboratories or workshops will be allowed to attend in-person classes.

Malaluan said the participation of students will be voluntary and will require signed consent from their parents.

“Those who will participate in the pilot test are preferably learners from within the city or municipality where the school is located. The learners will be “prioritized based on the greatest need for face-to-face if available slots are limited,” he said.

The DepEd would assess the initial run from November 15 to December 22. The pilot study is set to end on January 31.

It has scheduled an evaluation of the pilot study for February 2022.

Malaluan said the DepEd would also identify other schools for expansion of the face-to-face classes, inspect sites, and present pilot test reports and the proposed expansion to President Rodrigo Duterte in the same month.

Last month, Duterte approved the face-to-face classes in areas with minimal risk for Covid-19.