ILOILO City – In higher education institutions (HEIs), students and teachers may attend in-person classes regardless of their vaccination status against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
There are 154 HEIs in Region 6 and all are expected to follow this policy, said CHED Region 6 director Dr. Raul Alvarez Jr.
The basis for this policy is the relatively high vaccination rate in the country.
In a recent virtual press conference, CHED chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III said this significant change of policy was based on several considerations. Among these were the high vaccination coverage in HEIs and the lowered risk classification.
In Region 6, according to Alvarez, almost 9,000 school personnel are already vaccinated while 87 percent of more or less 180,000 students.
Recently, the Public Attorney’s Office emphasized a non-discriminatory setup for all learners, regardless of vaccination status, for face-to-face learning.
But CHED is giving discretion to HEIs, particularly in deciding on the health protocols such as securing temperature checks and declaration forms.
Special Adviser to CHED chairman Dr. Joselito Villaruz commended the commission’s decision that, he said, opened “exciting times” for students.
“I just like to commend the Commission for this breakthrough development in terms of policy, and I would just like to remind the schools to probably observe vigilance on the gradual return of students to face-to-face whether vaccinated or unvaccinated as this will provide us with a better way in delivering instruction to our students,” he said.
Special Adviser to CHED chairman Dr. Anna Ong-Lim, however, said students and other personnel must carefully observe isolation if several symptoms are experienced to avoid further transmission.
Ong-Lim also underscored the need to be vaccinated, even though the new policy poses no requisition on vaccination status.
“The risk is actually higher for the unvaccinated than those who are vaccinated. So we want to remind everybody that vaccines provide the best protection or provide a good layer of protection together with everything else that we practice,” she said. (With a report from the Philippine Nwes Agency/PNA)
