1,114 schools ‘nominated’ for classroom test next month

MANILA – The Department of Education said Wednesday that 1,114 schools have been “nominated” to participate in its classroom test next year, but the number of schools that will actually participate would be less.

The Secretary of Education, Leonor Briones, said that the regional directors of the department made the recommendation about the schools that could possibly participate in the pilot test.

“So far, our regional directors reported last week that 1,114 schools out of 61,000 schools have been nominated,” he said.

Briones said that 3 regions have “moved away” from participating in the drill, including the National Capital Region (NCR), the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

DepEd NCR Director Malcolm Garma said his office did not name a school as Metro Manila remains under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) until the end of the year.

Only schools under modified GCQ or considered low risk for COVID-19 transmission can participate in the test.

Briones said there was a “great demand” for face-to-face or face-to-face instruction in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Eastern Visayas.

“The other regions, nagva-vary (demand in other regions varies),” he said.

But the education chief said the number of schools that would actually participate in the drill, scheduled for January 11-23, 2021 “will be much less than 1,114.”

DepEd is scheduled to select pilot schools on December 28.

In an earlier statement, the agency said it would still assess whether the schools met the requirements and are ready to participate in the test.

Preparation

Briones explained that the department wanted to carry out a pilot test of face-to-face instruction to be prepared to resume physical classes once the COVID-19 vaccine is available in the country.

“We will pilot first. So we ask the president who is conducting a pilot study for permission. [kung] nandiyan na [ang] vaccine, everything is ready, ”he said.

(We will only do a pilot. We ask the president for permission for a pilot study, so when the vaccine is available, we will be ready.)

He emphasized that student participation in the pilot study is “voluntary” and requires written parental consent.

In an attempt to ease fears, Briones said the department would prioritize the safety of the children and teachers.

Per DepEd guidelines, strict health protocols must be followed in students’ home, during travel to and from school, and on campus.

The Undersecretary of Education, Nepomuceno Malaluan, said participating students and teachers would undergo a “symptom-based examination” to make sure they have not been exposed to a case of COVID-19 or have no symptoms of the disease.

Malaluan added that the department is still considering rapid tests for teachers.

He had said that among the students who can participate in the drill are upper secondary school students on the technical-vocational-livelihoods pathway and students who have difficulties learning on their own at home.

Regional reports on the drill will be presented January 25-29, which will be the basis for recommendations to the president.

Duterte previously said that he would not allow in-person classes unless a COVID-19 vaccine is available in the country.

Malacañang explained that Duterte approved the simulation because the current mixed learning scheme implemented in schools “is far from ideal.”