The Department of Education (DepEd) said Wednesday it allowed more public and private schools nationwide to hold limited in-person classes—the second phase of a three-part plan to reopen basic education classes since March 2020.
In a statement, the DepEd said Secretary Leonor Briones “has authorized all regional directors to commence the progressive expansion phase of face-to-face classes for both public and private schools.”
The first phase, which had nearly 300 participating schools, took place last November to December.
The DepEd said schools must be compliant with its School Safety Assessment Tool before it could hold limited in-person classes.
Only schools in areas under Alerts Level 1 and 2 are allowed to hold classroom sessions, the DepEd added.
On Tuesday, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benhur Abalos said they would discuss with DepEd the possible return of limited face-to-face classes as the region shifted to a looser COVID-19 alert level.
“Remember, before all these happened, we already had a pilot and it was good, continuous. We will see, we will immediately have a dialogue with Secretary Leonor Briones and her colleagues if we could perhaps continue this pilot,” Abalos said.
