DepEd: Expanded face-to-face classes to include other grade levels

Depending on the capacity of the participating schools, the Department of Education (DepEd) said that students who belong to other grade levels will be included during the implementation of expanded face-to-face classes.

DepEd, through the Office of Secretary Leonor Briones, issued an Office Order (OO-OSEC-2022-003) titled “Interim Guidelines on the Expansion of Limited Face-to-face Classes” dated Feb. 2.

Among the parameters set by DepEd for the participating schools in the expansion phase of limited face-to-face classes in basic education is the inclusion of other grade levels.

“Schools may already include other grade levels based on the capacity of schools,” DepEd said.

It can be recalled that when DepEd implemented the pilot run of limited face-to-face classes in November, only Kinder to Grade 3 learners for Elementary and those who need laboratory in Senior High School (SHS) under technical-vocational livelihood (TVL) track were allowed to participate.

Including younger children in the pilot run, DepEd said, was recommended by health experts. Thus, the learners in Grades 4 to 6 (Elementary) and those in Grades 7, 8, 9, and 10 (Junior High School) were not included in the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes.

Based on the data from DepEd, the pilot run of limited face-to-face classes was participated in by 15,683 learners in 287 public and private schools nationwide.

The pilot run started on Nov. 15 and ended on Dec. 20, 2021.

DepEd said that the pilot run was a “success” because there was no recorded case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among the participants, among other “desirable” results.

Based on the survey it conducted, DepEd said that the participants were generally satisfied with the implementation of the pilot study.

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DepEd: Majority of students ‘satisfied’ with pilot face-to-face classes

Pursuant to the approval of the recommendation for progressive expansion by the President last Jan. 17, DepEd has authorized all regional directors to “continue the implementation of limited face-to-face classes of the original pilot schools.”

The commencement of the progressive expansion phase for both public and private schools, under the parameters set by DepEd and the Department of Health (DOH), the agency said, will also be under the discretion of the regional directors.

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DepEd sets starting dates for expanded face-to-face classes