DepEd Eyes Full Face-to-Face Classes by November

The Department of Education (DepEd) is eyeing to conduct full face-to-face (F2F) classes nationwide by November this year, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced in a Malacañang press briefing last Tuesday afternoon, July 5.

Marcos Jr. said Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte has proposed the full implementation of in-person classes during their first Cabinet meeting, which was held on Tuesday morning.

“[By] September, we will start a phased face-to-face schooling. And that face-to-face will end up in early November as already 100% attendance ng mga bata (of the children),” he said.

While he told the DepEd and other related agencies to implement their plans quickly, he assured the public that the government is doing things carefully.

“I told them, ‘Let's get this done quickly.’ We are careful, but we are always in a hurry,” he said.

In preparation for F2F classes, Marcos Jr. said they’ll be encouraging booster vaccinations among the youth to combat the threats of COVID-19 and its subvariants like the highly contagious Omicron.

“With Omicron, you apparently need a third booster — a third dose. We will be encouraging that, especially for younger people because again, we have to be concerned about their return to school.”

On the same day, the Department of Health (DOH) announced on Facebook that children aged 12 to 17 can now receive their booster shots.