PRIVATE schools in Negros Occidental are now gearing up for the possible resumption of face-to-face (F2F) classes in January 2022.
Mark Molina, president of the Negros Occidental Private Schools Sports Cultural Educational Association (Nopsscea), said many of their school-members have already applied with the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) to resume F2F classes.
Molina said among these schools are West Negros-STI University, University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, and La Consolacion College-Bacolod.
He said these schools are asking the Ched to allow F2F classes for medical, hospitality and tourism management programs.
In Bacolod City, only University of St. La Salle (USLS) - Bacolod and Colegio San Agustin - Bacolod (CSA-B) were granted authority for F2F classes so far.
CSA-B Vice President for Academics Geron Cabarles said the commision allowed them to hold physical laboratory classes for nursing and medical technology courses from November 19, 2021 to July 22, 2022.
Cabarles, however, said that they opted to start the limited F2F classes in December this year instead.
As to the resumption of classroom F2F classes for these courses, he said, they are still waiting for a final word from the Ched but he emphasized that in case they will be granted, they are already prepared.
Meanwhile, USLS-Bacolod’s laboratory and classroom F2F classes for nursing and medicine already started yesterday, November 23.
Brother Irwin Anthony Climaco, head of USLS-Bacolod Communications Department, said they conducted one-on-one laboratory classes for nursing.
There were two students for the laboratory classes of medicine course. For both medicine and nursing, there were 10 students and one professor for classroom instructions, he added.
USLS-Bacolod Chancellor and president Brother Joaquin Severino said they will also apply for the holding of F2F classes for other courses such as Hospitality Tourism Management and Engineering.
Representatives of Nopsscea member-schools attended the onsite vaccination at USLS-Bacolod yesterday.
The activity is part of a school-based vaccination campaign and implementation for the tertiary education subsidy program in Western Visayas dubbed “Padyak para sa Ikaayong Lawas kag Libre nga Edukasyon.”
There, they meet with Severino in preparation for the resumption of F2F classes.
Molina said their focus right now, aside from preparing classrooms, is the vaccination of their employees, teachers and students.
“It’s good to note that our teachers from government-run higher institutions and Noppscea are already vaccinated,” he said.
Nopsscea member schools are also joining the national vaccination program of the government on November 29 to December 1, 2021.