The president once again changed his stance regarding face-to-face classes amid the continuing threat of COVID-19 as expressed during his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday.
President Rodrigo Duterte said he will not allow physical classes to resume until a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available. Previously, he approved the recommendation of having limited face-to-face classes in COVID-19 low-risk areas
“Until the COVID-19 vaccine is available, I will not allow the traditional face-to-face teaching or learning,” PRRD said.
He added that he was thinking of resuming classes in January, assuming that a coronavirus vaccine is already available for the public by then.
“Life that is lost is lost forever. Education that is delayed can be recovered,” Duterte said.
He emphasized the need to properly implement online and modular learning among students while face-to-face teaching is not yet allowed.
Meanwhile, Duterte said he’s determined to establish the Department of Education’s Public Education Network (PEN) by the end of his term in 2022.
He said PEN will connect all public schools in the country, especially those in far-flung areas via satellite, energized by solar panels.
“We plan to increase schools with ICT equipment in the coming months. The DepEd is building PEN that will connect all public schools and DepEd offices nationwide,” he added.
