Ninety-four percent of public schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) implemented face-to-face classes on Wednesday, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.

“In NCR, 94 percent of our schools are implementing five-day in-person classes. Full capacity according to the regional director (Wilfredo Cabral). Five days, 100 percent of enrollees,” Deped spokesperson Michael Poa said in a message.

According to DepEd, there are 827 public schools in NCR.

Of this number, fifty schools were exempted from implementing in-person classes for several reasons, including being affected by the Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng” and congestion.

All public schools nationwide are required to return to enforcing full face-to-face classes on November 2 in compliance with DepEd Order No.44, series of 2022 which was issued by Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte.

It has been two years since the COVID-19 pandemic that schools have allowed students in classrooms.

Poa said the resumption of in-person classes has been going smoothly so far.

“From this morning, we have not received any reports on untoward incidents from the regions. So overall, we can say that the resumption of classes has been going smoothly this November 2,” Poa told reporters.

Poa said they are still waiting for reports from other DepEd regional directors so they can address any issues found with the implementation of in-person classes.

“That’s why we are making our rounds today so we can see if everything is in order and small problems can immediately be solved,” Poa said.

DepEd on Tuesday announced that it will allow optional masking in classrooms in accordance with Executive Order 7 issued by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. that allows optional use of face masks in indoor and outdoor settings.

Cabral said most teachers would feel safer if students still opt to wear face masks.

“Most teachers would prefer if still wore masks to be safe, especially in schools with many enrollees. We are handling children so they need an added layer of protection,” Cabral said in a statement.

“However, because they are allowing the optional wearing of face masks, we leave it to the teachers and the school principal, especially in schools where congestion is prevalent,” he added. Jaspearl Tan/DMS