A TOTAL of 2,698 schools in Davao Region are ready for face-to-face classes on November 2, an official of the Department of Education Davao Region (DepEd-Davao) .
DepEd-Davao Spokesperson Jenielito Atillo, who was a guest during the AFP-PNP Press Conference on July 27 at the Royal Mandaya Hotel, said of the 2,698, a total of 498 are from private schools and 2,200 from public schools.
Unlike before when classrooms are filled between 30 to 50 students, Atillo said they will observe social distancing where classrooms will have less students.
“It's not full [classroom capacity], we will be implementing physical distancing... dili na ni parehas dati nga maghuot gyud sila, kung dili na siya ma-accommodate ibalhin sa another room (this is not like before when classrooms are congested. If they go beyond the allowable capacity per classroom, the school will assign them to a different room),” Atillo said in an interview with SunStar Davao at the sidelines of the press conference.
He said it will be upon the principal’s discretion as to how they will modify or assign the classrooms.
Atillo said they will no longer implement blended learning this incoming school year in accordance to DepEd No. Order 34 Series of 2022.
“Ibig sabihin na everybody should be present, tanang mga bata should report five days gyud (This means that all students must come to class for five days),” Atillo said.
Atillo said they are expecting an increase in enrollment for academic year of 2022-2023.
However the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Partylist have raised concerns about the face-to-face classes.
“There are some requisites for a safe back-to-school program this year because we need to address the 'old normal' problems to enable a safe 100% school reopening [these include], [we need to] double school maintenance and operating budget, employ nurses and utility personnel for every school, ensure the health protection and benefits of teachers and non-teaching staff,” Reynaldo Pardillo, ACT President Davao City and the Sta.Ana National High School Teachers and Employees Union President, said. KSD