TEACHERS from two public schools in Davao City are currently under quarantine after a colleague tested positive for coronavirus a week before the resumption of classes, the Department of Education (DepEd)-Davao Region said.
DepEd-Davao spokesperson Jenielito Atillo told SunStar Davao in a phone interview on Tuesday, October 6, that teachers from the AL Navarro National High School in Bunawan, and Talomo National High School are under a 14-day mandatory quarantine as one of the teachers in each school had tested positive from the virus that causes Covid-19.
Atillo said disinfection within the school perimeters and its facilities are undergoing.
He said the Covid-19-positive teachers were also involved in the module reproduction, resulting in the delay of the module distribution.
Despite this, Atillo said they were still able to push through with the opening of classes on Monday, October 5, utilizing the radio-based instruction for the affected students.
"Didto usa mi nagsandig sa radio-based instructional sa mga affected schools. Soft copy sa mga modules na lang usa amo gihatag para lang gyud makagunit og modules ang mga bata (We decided to utilize the radio-based instructional for the affected students. We also distributed the soft copy of the modules just for the students to have an advance copy)," he said.
The DepEd official, however, said that the quarantine period of the teachers is expected to end within this week.
Based on the information they received, the infected and quarantined teachers are "doing well" and have not reportedly experienced critical or severe symptoms.
Atillo said the DepEd central office has already set guidelines for circumstances where a Covid-19-positive teacher or school personnel had contact with those within school premises.
He added that they have prescribed quarantine measures depending on the level of exposure of the teacher from his/her positive co-teacher.
"When we decided to quarantine all [teachers], dili buot pasabot parehas sila og level [of exposure]. The point is just to make sure nga ang tanan safe and ma-assure namo ilang health (When we decided to quarantine all teachers, this does not mean that all of them have the same level of exposure. The point is just to make sure that we would be able to assure their health and safety)," Atillo said, adding DepEd's primary concern is the health condition of the teachers, while not compromising the learning needs of their students.
Atillo, meanwhile, said that internet connection was the main challenge on Monday's (October 5) school opening.
He said it is something that cannot be avoided, hence, he said DepEd has entrusted the school and teachers to create adjustments and backup plans for students who will be experiencing internet connection problems in their areas.
He said adjustments are yet to be made considering that the "new normal" learning setup entails several challenges.
Based on DepEd-Davao's current figure, an estimated 1.2 million students were enrolled in the academic year 2020 to 2021. The figures would still increase, according to Atillo, since Education Secretary Leonor Briones had instructed the extension of the enrollment in the country until the first week of November this year.
Face-to-face classroom setup is highly discouraged due to the current threat of the Covid-19.
DepEd, for this academic year, rolled out different mediums of modalities for students to continue their education while being at the comfort of their homes.