Unvaccinated teachers, students allowed to attend face-to-face classes
Teachers and students not vaccinated against COVID-19 will be accepted into schools once the face-to-face classes phase start , the Department of Education (DepEd) said Tuesday.
The 2022-2023 school year will start on August 22 using blended learning. Full face-to-face classes will begin on November 2.
In a Malacanang press briefing, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said that unvaccinated teachers, school staff, and students would not be discriminated against.
“We have a non-discriminatory policy at the Department of Education. Meaning for both teaching and non-teaching personnel as well as our learners themselves, we will not discriminate. We will not have separate guidelines for those who are vaccinated and those who are unvaccinated,” Poa said.Teachers and school staff should not be required to undergo regular antigen testing since the result is “only good for that instance,” according to Anna Lisa Ong-Lim from the Technical Advisory Group under the Department of Health (DOH).
“A few minutes after that point, if we get exposed or encounter someone who is sick (with COVID-19), that test could become invalid,” she said.
Data from DOH’s National COVID Vaccination Board shows that as of August 1 157,258,337 vaccines have been administered.Of this number, 71, 745,630 people have been double-dosed, while 16,279,381 have received their boosters.
In-person classes will continue in disaster-stricken areas, even if DedEd has to put up makeshift classrooms as part of their “quick intervention”, Poa said.
“We will set up temporary learning spaces. These are spaces made out of light materials and they will also have roofs so it will be safe for our learners,” he added.
The construction of the makeshift classrooms will take three days to complete.
DepEd is coordinating with local government units and barangays to look for unused spaces where they could put up these makeshift classrooms.
The magnitude 7 earthquake which struck Northern Luzon on July 27 led to the destruction of schools and other major infrastructure. It also resulted in 10 deaths.Before that, the country was hit by typhoons ''Odette'' in December 2021 and ''Agaton'' in April 2022.
DepEd is determined to implement face-to-face classes since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is “hell-bent” on making it happen as he mentioned in his State of the Nation Address last month, Poa said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
