The number of public schools in the Cordillera that reopened for in-person classes has reached 863, according to the Department of Education.
As of March 9, schools implementing in-person classes are broken down to 678 in elementary, 162 in secondary and 23 integrated schools with a total of 109,658 learners.
Policy Planning and Research Division Chief Aida Payang said there are still no private schools in the region that resumed face-to-face classes. As of March 5, 17 private schools have applied for limited in-person classes.
While more schools have opened for in-person classes, the number of schools to open in Abra and Kalinga has decreased due to the recently released orders from their chief executives.
In Abra, Schools Division Superintendent Benilda Daytaca said Gov. Joy Bernos released a memorandum where she ordered that only fully vaccinated students are allowed to attend in-person classes.
Daytaca said there are 50 schools that initially started in-person classes but they had to stop since the consent earlier given by the mayors was superseded by the governor’s order.
Only five secondary schools with more than 80 percent fully vaccinated learners numbering to 142 have continued in-person classes in Abra.
“Many would like to start face-to-face classes already, but we also have to follow this order from our executive aimed at the safety of learners and school staff,” Daytaca said.
Kalinga Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Jerry Ymson also shared that the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force has proposed that in-person classes should only be limited for fully vaccinated learners and DepEd personnel.
Ymson said the order is in line with the provincial government’s goal of attaining 100 percent vaccination rate among its constituents.
He said there are 58 schools nominated for in-person classes but only 18 schools with 1,187 learners for the elementary, 185 for junior high school and 60 learners in the senior high schools were allowed for in-person classes. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 27, 2024
