MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte will have the final say on the possible resumption of face-to-face classes by early next year with a vaccine for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in place.
According to Education Secretary Leonor Briones, while there were plans of resumption of physical classes, the country’s chief executive will still have the final say.
“We are studying the possibility but definitely not this year, and definitely not until the President makes an announcement,” Briones said during Malacanang’s virtual presser on Tuesday.
“There are no arrangements right now who can do face-to-face classes,” she added. “Nananatili ang polisiya ng Presidente na walang face-to-face classes ang mga bata habang wala pang vaccine.”
“Kung magkaroon man ng face-to-face classes, it will be limited to places that are very safe, there will be conditions coming from us. But the President has not spoken about this yet,” she said.
Briones also noted that if ever President Duterte approves face-to-face classes, the Department of Education still needs to secure a clearance from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Department of Health./PN
