Philippine schools will not hold face-to-face classes until a vaccine for the new coronavirus disease is available.
This was the announced by the country’s Department of Education following President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that he will not endanger the lives of students.
“We are updating our policies, realigning our finances, and collaborating with our partners so that our goals of providing quality education and protecting the safety and health of our constituents will be achieved,” said Education Secretary Leonor Briones.
She said teachers are being trained on “utilizing newer platforms and innovative tools to aid their professional development.”
To ensure the effectiveness of alternative learning methods, Briones said her department is working with the private sector to make the necessary steps on the “development, acquisition and deployment of learning resources.”
Last week, the education department announced that a total of 5,204,949 students have enrolled in both public and private schools nationwide during the first week of its remote enrolment system.
The enrolment for school year 2020-2021 is done through phone or through online platforms and will last until June 30.
As of June 10, the John Hopkins University said that the Philippines has had 22,992 confirmed cased of COVD-19 and 1,017 deaths due to the disease.
