CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)–In November, there will be a full implementation, 100% of in-person classes, said Department of Education Region 10 Director Arturo B. Bayocot during the Oplan Balik Eskwela Kick Off activity held, August 17, following the announcement of Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Z. Duterte, in order to provide Filipino learners with quality, equitable, culture-based and complete basic education.
“In two years with the lockdowns, I think we successfully hurdled the tests of an education delivery to continue. As a matter of fact, we have several distance learning delivery modalities to let education delivery continue,” said the regional director. He also cited that there are certain limitations that confront their strategies but it is the very best that they can do.
The DepEd’s Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) Kickoff, which was streamed online and physically participated by provincial and city officials of DepEd, is in support of its goal for a safe and productive return of in-person classes come August 22. It has the theme, “Kapit-bisig para sa mas ligtas na balik-aral.”
Moreover, Bayocot said after two years of implementing school programs, activities and projects, the department has seen how their partners and stakeholders came to their rescue to continually forward DepEd’s efforts. He also acknowledged their attitude in giving value to education.
“When you invest in education, nothing can go wrong,” he said.
Bayoco said in 2,524 schools in northern Mindanao, 1,400 schools are all ready to implement 100% in-person classes. He also reported a total of 1,052,078 enrollees as of 11:22 a.m. of August 11, 2022.
This is composed of 69,826 for kindergarten, 501,683 for elementary school, 322,957 for Junior High School and 157,612 Senior High School. He said, however, that they are continuing with the enrollment, and may increase especially on the last enrollment day.
Bayocot shared that 100% of the DepEd-10’s personnel is vaccinated. Though he said that DepEd prohibits discrimination, and teachers and students, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, can enter the schools provided that minimum health protocols are strictly followed, and DepEd will continually conduct counseling and other interventions to educate unvaccinated people to reconsider their decisions and get vaccinated since it is one best way to protect their selves from the coronavirus. (IJBD/PIA-10)
