ILOILO City – Permissions from the local government unit, Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), and parents are needed by the schools before resuming or starting face-to-face classes.
The concurrence of these sectors is required to ensure “if they are still willing to push through to avoid possible repercussion,” said Hernani Escullar Jr., Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6 information officer.
Schools planning to join the pilot and expanded face-to-face classes are those in areas under Alert Level 2 in Western Visayas.
Once they already secured the concurrence, they should advise the regional office if then they will start or resume classes, added Escullar.
Twenty schools composed of 18 public and two private schools in the region have participated in the pilot face-to-face classes but have reverted to modular and blended learning since the region was placed under Alert Level 3 on Jan. 16.
Seven of the schools are from Negros Occidental, four from Antique, three each from Aklan and Iloilo province, and one each from Bacolod City, Guimaras, and Capiz.
Moreover, 80 schools are on standby and waiting to join the expanded face-to-face classes upon the de-escalation of the region’s coronavirus pandemic alert level classification.
They are composed of 60 schools from various division offices in Negros Occidental, nine from Antique, four from Aklan, five from Iloilo province, and one each from Guimaras and Capiz.
The national IATF on Feb. 14 approved Resolution No. 161-A still placing Iloilo City and province, and Guimaras on Alert Level 3 while the rest of the provinces and highly urbanized city of Western Visayas are de-escalated to Alert Level 2. (PNA)
