TACLOBAN CITY – With Leyte still under Alert Level 3, the conduct of limited face-to-face will be suspended until the alert level is lifted.
This was confirmed by Manuel Albaño, provincial schools superintendent who identified 18 public and private schools across the province that are to conduct the face-to-face classes.
However, with the declaration of the Inter-Agency Task Force placing the entire province under Alert Level 3 until Feb 15, this will need to be temporarily suspended and must wait for it to be lifted.
Leyte was earlier placed by Malacanang under Alert Level 3 beginning Feb.1 and is to end on Feb.15.
The in-person classes among these identified schools are to start once the alert level of Leyte will be downgraded to just Alert Level 2.
Among the public elementary schools that are to implement the limited in-person classes as recommended by the provincial office of the Department of Education (DepED) are Caloogan Elementary School (ES) and Cabarasan Daku ES in Palo; Granja Kalinawan National High School in Jaro; Yapad ES and Manaybanay NHS in Pastrana; Sta. Fe ES; Sogod NHS and Jugaban NHS in Carigara; Victory ES and Cabacungan NHS in Dulag; Danus ES in Leyte town, and Isabel Central School in Isabel town.
Some private schools are also expected to be part of the expanded face-to-face classes.
Albaño added that aside from the mentioned schools, they also visited far-flung schools if they are ready to implement the in-school learning like the public schools in Babatngon and Capoocan towns.
“We tried to visit them, and they are actually ready. As far as we are concerned, these schools are prepared and qualified, but because (our) central office always instructs us not to implement without their go signal, we have to abide,” he said.
For a school to be selected for face-to-face classes, they must belong to a community that has had no active coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases for the last 28 days.
They must also be supported by their respective local government units for the offering of limited face-to-face classes and certified by their rural health units of zero COVID-19 cases.
Ventilation of classrooms must also be improved and with a better lighting.
Classes will also last for only four and a half hours a day.
Prior to the 18 schools, three public elementary schools were selected to pilot the face-to-face classes in Leyte.
These are Dolho ES and Bato Central School in Bato town, and Palo Central School in Palo.
Meantime, of the 17,032 teaching and non-teaching staff at DepEd Leyte, more than 14,000 had already received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines.
Also, only 35,509 learners from age 12 to 17 out of 397,000 had been administered with the vaccine. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
