THE Department of Education (DepEd) central office has allowed only one private school in Central Visayas to participate in the pilot implementation of face-to-face (F2F) classes for private schools nationwide that will start on Monday, Nov. 22, 2021.
The Department of Education (DepEd) central office said it approved the Sisters of Mary Schools Inc.-Boystown in Minglanilla, Cebu Province as the only school in the region to participate in the limited in-person classes for private schools implemented amid the improving coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation.
DepEd 7 Director Salustiano Jimenez said the school’s students are staying in a “bubble” as they are staying inside the campus. A “bubble” is an unofficial term that describes the cluster of people outside your household with whom you feel comfortable spending time during the pandemic (CNBC.com).
Aside from the school’s “bubble,” it also fulfilled the DepEd’s safety and facility requirements.
According to the DepEd, the operational guidelines on the pilot implementation of in-person learning modality “provide health and safety standards in terms of personal protective equipment, sanitation, detection and referral, ventilation, contact tracing, and quarantine, coordination, and contingency measures.”
Chosen private schools
Five private schools in Central Visayas initially submitted their intention to join in the pilot implementation. The DepEd 7 then chose three schools that it deemed ready for the F2F.
Based on the final assessment conducted on Nov. 15, the DepEd central office and the Department of Health chose 20 private schools in the country to participate in the pilot in-person classes.
Jimenez said they will appeal for the other two private schools which are Sisters of Mary Schools Inc.-Girlstown in Talisay City, Cebu and the one in Anda, Bohol, to be part of the proposed expansion of the F2F classes.
He said these two schools were already validated and deemed to be fit to hold in-person classes.
Jimenez said the safety protocols that are implemented in public schools will also be implemented in private schools—wearing of face masks, washing of hands at wash stations and checking of temperature, among others.
Eight schools in Cebu Province were selected to take part in the F2F classes for public schools that started last Monday, Nov. 15.
The DepEd 7 chief assured that all the teachers were fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and physical distancing measures were already put in place.