Senate committee on basic education, arts, and culture chairperson Sherwin Gatchalian said areas without COVID-19 cases must be allowed to begin conducting face-to-face classes this upcoming school year.
Gatchalian said in the Sept. 7 Laging Handa briefing that there are at least 200 local government units without any COVID-19 cases that may be amenable to the pilot run of physical classes.
“Pwede na silang magbukas ng klase at doon na tayo mag-umpisa ng face-to-face classes… Iyong mga LGUs na nasa isla, mga LGUs na nasa bundok na hindi naman pinupuntahan ng tao, dapat ho talagang pwede nang mag-face-to-face classes doon,” he said.
However, said the case will be different in urban areas such as Metro Manila due to the high number of reported COVID-19 cases.
He said the prolonged break from face-to-face classes may cause “learning loss” on the part of students, and that parents and their children are facing difficulties under the current distance learning system.
The Department of Education (DepEd) has already identified 120 schools for the pilot run of face-to-face classes. President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to issue a decision on the matter.
On Sept. 6, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte “may allow” the pilot test in areas with very low COVID-19 cases. – Report from Kenneth Paciente/AG-rir
