The Department of Education (DepEd) said all schools will be given the option to start classes Monday using blended learning.

As of Friday morning, around 27 million students have enrolled for the 2022-2023 school year, which is 96 percent of the total DepEd wants to attain.

In an interview with dzBB, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said: “All classes will start tomorrow, the only difference is that they have options from August 22 to October 31 to do blended learning if they can’t do in-person learning.”

The DepEd has set November 2 for all schools to start face-to-face classes.

Poa said lack of classrooms has been a pre-pandemic problem, especially in Metro Manila and Calabarzon which have plenty of students.

The classroom situation was made worse by Typhoons ''Odette ''and ''Agaton'' struck the country.

“Despite that, we have done some interventions like coordinating with LGUs (local government units) to set up temporary learning spaces. We also set up our own temporary learning spaces. But for the highly congested areas, we will re-implement shifting schedules or blended learning,” he said.

Poa said they have provided 165 temporary learning spaces in Abra, which was hit by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in July, but they will be providing around 300.

“If the temporary learning spaces don’t make it in time (for the start of classes), we will provide them with modules,” he told dzBB.

Poa said DepEd did not specify a ratio for students per teacher to give them flexibility in enforcing social distancing.

“Our regional directors and field offices are really doing everything they can to reduce the learners per classroom that’s why we will have a shifting schedule,” he said.

Schools will either have two or three shifting schedules, depending on how highly congested the area is, he added. Jaspearl Tan/DMS