BACOLOD City Councilor Renecito Novero is planning to file a resolution Wednesday, March 10, urging the Department of Education Central Office, Commission of Higher Education (Ched) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) for an early graduation of their students.
Novero, chairperson of the committee on education, said Tuesday that they held a meeting with the Local School Board on Monday and discussed the measures to prevent and control the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in schools.
He said Gladys Sales, officer-in-charge schools division superintendent, informed them that on their jurisdiction level, they don’t have an authority to hold an early graduation because they have a required period of time to be completed.
“But, if the Central Office will declare an early graduation, they don’t have a choice but they need also to comply it,” he added.
Novero noted that the DepEd has no objection on this proposal, but the order should come from the Central Office.
The Local School Board meeting was attended by its members including Sales, principals, supervisors, teachers, parent-teacher association president, among others.
As of Monday, a total of 24 persons in the country, who are all from Luzon, were tested positive of Covid-19.
Dr. Grace Tan, spokesperson of Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force, earlier said has now a total of 23 persons under monitoring (PUMs) for Covid-19.
Bacolod City has no patients under investigation (PUIs) and the whole of Negros Occidental.
The 23 PUMs, who are all residents of Bacolod City, are in home quarantine. They have a history travel from South Korea, Hong Kong, China, Morocco, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Thailand.
The task force earlier approved resolutions to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19 requesting all airlines and sea ports to require the passengers to fill up the health declaration form so that they will be alerted if there will be persons who are coming from restricted countries or countries with confirmed Covid-19 cases; requesting all the barangay officials to temporarily stop the celebration of their fiestas and charter day; requesting the Japanese employers, who are set to arrive in Bacolod to interview the applicants in Negros Occidental, to postpone the activity; and requesting the Department of Education (DepEd) to hold an early graduation.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia also asked DepEd superintendent to conduct an observation and to check on what should be done on the existing circumstances.
“We should continue our measures to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19,” Leonardia said.
The mayor also urged the Daycare Centers to hold their graduation within their school or barangay.
For their part, the Provincial Board of Negros Occidental also passed Tuesday a resolution urging the Department of Education to end this school year early.
The resolution, which was authored by Provincial Board Members Agustin Bascon and Araceli Somosa, pointed out that is it quite evident that schools can serve as an ideal breeding ground for all sorts of biological strains.
“Moreover, the same will likewise combat the spread to teachers, school personnel, and other adults, including but not limited to parents, grandparents, and relatives who may be at a greater risk for contracting more serious infections, outweighing, thus far the disadvantages presented,” they said.
They added closing the school year early will not be detrimental and impactful as it is about to end anyway in just under a month’s time.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri also urged DepEd to end the school year early in response to the threat of Covid-19.
He said the government cannot afford a slow reactive response to the virus and urged for a more proactive approach.
The senator said, by ending the school year early, it will allow for students to stay “safe at home” and, at the same time, allow schools to be disinfected.
“There are only a few days left until the summer break so we should ask the DepEd to just order the early break,” he said, noting, other countries have taken similar measures.