ILOILO City – None of the 21 Schools Division Offices in Region 6 reported cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among learners, teaching and non-teaching staff since face-to-face classes resumed on Aug. 22.
The Department of Education (DepEd) cited the high vaccination coverage among learners and school personnel.
Getting vaccinated as an added protection against the COVID-19 is a big help, according to Hernani Escullar Jr., information officer of DepEd Region 6, citing the department’s Regional Health and Nutrition Unit monitoring.
As of Aug. 22, a total of 426,465 learners already received their first dose, while 426,465 learners had their second dose and became fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The number of the vaccinated would likely increase, said Escullar, pointing out the ongoing vaccination rollout per local government unit (LGU).
For the part of DepEd personnel, as of July 25, out of 84,832 teachers and staff in the region, 949 had their first dose of the vaccine; 78,980 personnel had their second dose; and 11,746 personnel took booster shots. Some 4,903 personnel, however, are still unvaccinated.
Most reasons cited by the unvaccinated personnel are their religious beliefs or health-related concerns, but the numbers may have changed since the data was from a July 25 DepEd report.
Escullar said the other factors making learners and school personnel safe from COVID-19 is their strict adherence to the minimum public health standards, particularly the wearing of facemasks inside the classroom and observing one meter of physical distancing.
In addition, schools have designated hand-washing areas, foot baths and made available hand sanitizers or alcohol in every classroom.
Schools are also proactive in reminding parents or guardians to take preventive measures like not sending the learners to school once they exhibit COVID-19 symptoms.
Escullar said the moment they receive reports from parents or guardians, the school would immediately coordinate with the concerned LGU for monitoring and management.
If a learner exhibits symptoms while in the classroom, the class adviser will immediately send the learner to a designated isolation room for treatment and will also coordinate with the LGU and parents/guardians.
“We are thankful to our partners, especially sa parents and LGUs nga nagabulig para ma-prevent ang paglapta sang COVID-19,” Escullar said.
Majority of public elementary, integrated and public secondary schools in the region opted for the blended learning modality as a transition option learning modality starting Aug. 22 until Oct. 31, 2022.
The blended learning modality is composed of three days of in-person classes and two days of distance learning.
A total of 2,951 public schools in Western Visayas chose the blended learning modality, 858 public schools opted for five days of in-person classes, while 236 schools went for full distance learning.
For private schools, DepEd-6 said, school administrators or school principals have the discretion to choose their preferred learning modality in consultation with the parents or guardians.
In the entire region, there are a total of 5,068 schools, of which 4,045 are public; 1,010 are private; and 13 are state universities and colleges and local universities and colleges.
Meanwhile, based on DepEd central office data, 2,233,946 learners were enrolled for school year 2022-2023 – a significantly higher number compared to the last school year 2020-2021 which had 2,104,060 enrolled learners./PN
