MANILA — The Department of Education and Department of Health on Monday assured the public that mechanisms are in place to ensure the safety of students and school personnel who will join the pilot test of limited in-person classes.
"Now that we are in the middle of our most aggressive campaign for the vaccination of our teachers and the rest of our citizens, it is now fairly safe for us to start the pilot study," Briones said. The education agency is also in the process of identifying participating private schools by having its regional offices nominate one private school in their jurisdiction, based on the guidelines presented by DepEd Director for Planning Service Roger Masapol.Under the guidelines, only students from Kindergarten to Grade 3 learners and SHS will participate in the dry run.
It is preferred that participating learners live near the school to avoid taking public transportation. The face-to-face classes will complement distance learning modalities, with classroom sessions set to be held every other week. Schools must ensure proper ventilation of classrooms, and conduct temperature checks before entering campuses and daily rapid health checks.Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said it was not recommended for participating students and school personnel to undergo regular COVID-19 testing.