MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is looking into the possibility of extending the face-to-face learning system to all degree programs in low-risk areas.
One of CHED’s bases in considering the said scheme is the high vaccination rate of its personnel, wherein 73 percent of its 1,488 teaching and non-teaching staff are already fully vaccinated.
According to CHED chairperson Prospero De Vera III, the infection rate among students and personnel has also decreased in schools that initially reopened for physical learning in medicine and allied health sciences courses.
“Pinag-aaralan na namin kung puwedeng payagan ang mga eskuwelahan na mag-limited face to face classes in all degree programs in areas that have very low COVID prevalence and very high vaccination rate,” De Vera said.
Currently, only courses such as medicine and health-allied, engineering, hospitality or hotel and restaurant management, tourism or travel management, and marine engineering and marine transportation were allowed to hold limited face-to-face classes in areas under modified general community quarantine.
More than 300 universities were given the go signal to hold physical classes with 21,000 students and 1,000 faculty members allowed to join the in-person learning.
“Titingnan natin doon sa next batch na mga degree programs kung ligtas pa rin ang mga estudyante at mga guro at baka papayagan din sila kahit na medyo ristricted area pa yung kanilang lugar,” De Vera said.
“Magiging dalawa ‘yung face-to-face, by degree program and possibly by geographical area,” he added.
De Vera further said that even if the holding of limited face-to-face classes in all courses will be approved by the national government, they will still abide by whatever the decision of local governments will be.
CHED said it continues to strengthen its immunization rollout among students and school personnel through the series of vaccination caravan scheduled for the coming days. —/mbmf (from the report of UNTV Correspondent Janice Ingente)
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