118 mga Universities at Colleges ang papayagang magsagawa ng limited face-to-face classes – CHED

Inihayag ng Commission on Higher Education (CHED) nitong Biyernes, ang mahigit isang daang higher education institutions (HEIs) sa buong bansa na ipinapahintulot na magsagawa ng limited face-to-face classes.

Sa isang virtual press conference habang ina-award ang Certificate of Authority para mag-reopen ng limited face-to-face classes sa Mindoro Occidental, sinabi ni CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III na mayroong, “118 HEIs that have been allowed to hold limited face-to-face in medical and allied health sciences.”

Ayon kay De Vera na noong July 2020, tinalakay niya sa Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) na payagan ang mga HEIs na nag-aalok ng medicine at allied health science na magsagawa ng limited face-to-face classes.

Nitong Enero 2021, inaprubahan na ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duturte ang propasal.

Ang starting points ng mga HEIs, ay iba-iba, batay kay De Vera, tulad ng University of the Philippines (UP) Manila na kung saan, nagsimula na silang mag-hold ng limited face-to-face noong Disyembre pa.

Sinabi rin ni De Vera na ang offering ng limited face-to-face, ay nakadepende sa “readiness” ng HEI.

Ipinaliwanag niya na, halimbawa, ang bilang ng mga estudyante ay ipapahintulot mag-attend ng limited in-person sessions ay naka-depende sa laki ng room upang matiyak ang social distancing.

Mayroong 13,000 mga estudyante sa buong Pilipinas ang kumukuha ng health-related degree programs ayon kay De Vera, tulad ng Medicine, Nursing, Medical Technology/Medical Laboratory Science, Physical Therapy, Midwifery, at Public Health ay pinapayagang mag-attend ng limited face-to-face classes.

Batay kay De Vera na pinush ng CHED na gawing “first batch” ang mga estudyanteng kumukuha ng medicine at allied health sciences na papayagang mag-attend ng limited face-to-face classes.

Binanggit niya na may dalawang major reason para dito:
Enable students to achieve key learning outcomes on specialized laboratory courses and hospital-based clinical clerkship/internship/practicum
And to provide “back-up” or additional manpower to hospitals.

Samantala pinaliwanag ni De Vera na kailangan munang mag-apply ang HEIs bago silang payagang magsagawa ng face-to-face classes.

“They have to retrofit their facilities to ensure the safety of the students and faculty,” aniya.

Mayroong higit 400 applications ang natanggap ng Commision, sabi ni De Vera.

“There are still pending [applications] because inspection for this is very meticulous and the approval is not very easy to get,” dagdag niya.

Reports from Manila Bulletin by Merlina Hernando-Malipot