[FEATURE] CHED in conducting limited face-to-face classes
Written by Ofelia Valmocina
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has been considering limited face-to-face classes since January 2021 in courses that are in dire need of hands-on experience.
President Duterte approved the request for expansion to other degree programs just this September 2021. Currently, here are the issued and only degrees allowed for face-to-face activities in areas under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ):
- Medicine and Health Allied
2. Engineering and Technology programs
3. Hospitality/Hotel and Restaurant Management
4. Tourism/Travel Management
5. Marine Engineering; and
6. Marine Transportation
READ: CHED eyes limited face-to-face classes for all degree programs in low risk areas | by Rappler
According to CHED, the data gathered displayed a small percentage of students and faculty members affected by COVID-19. Hence, face-to-face classes are assumed to be safe enough to operate and are preparing to extend their line towards other degree programs. CHED assures students, parents, and faculty that the guidelines they are currently working on until November or December will be strict and safe. The pilot run of limited face-to-face classes is in talks to open in January 2022.
CHED also considers allowing face-to-face classes in low-risk areas and high vaccination rates or by “geographic area.” They are currently studying the areas to embrace all degree programs in the following months. The said limited face-to-face classes could be divided into two: all-degree programs and geographical regions. CHED claims the proposal as difficult if the local governments are not convinced. CHED will need Local Government Units (LGUs) as part of planning, for they are also considering the students’ public transportation and the contact tracing provided by the LGU. Aside from the low risk of COVID-19, CHED will have to see first the high vaccination rates, followed by safe transportation and stronger contact tracing.
Universities and colleges will nonetheless be inspected and must strictly follow the guidelines. The said expansion may happen in the ‘next couple of months,’ according to CHED Commissioner Prospero De Vera.
THE AUTHOR
A late bloomer who never knew will ingrain herself in the beauty of writing.
I am Ofelia Valmocina, a Feature Writer and Associate Editor of UST Angelicum’s Tigercubs. A bubbly person and easy to approach. I’m also meticulous, persistent, and tenacious in what I do. Above all, God-fearing. Besides writing, I love watching Korean dramas.
As a fact, my capabilities have gotten only visible to me lately; that’s why I call myself a late bloomer. Every nook and cranny of my life, I have never thought of writing with interest, but life is indeed unforeseen. Suddenly, writing hit me with its beauty and got me enthralled. It was a driving force for me to widen my vocabulary and produce my own version of writing with beauty and explicitness.
Writing rekindled my passion for something and built my sense of worth. I write because it gives me hope — that I also have the skill, strength, and ability to exhibit myself to everyone. Also, it enables me to see the beautiful (even beauty in mundane) and compelling segments of life. Since that day, writing has become an outlet for me to see my growth, and I’m more than willing to learn and share new impressions through Tigercubs! For the love of writing, expect my steadfast growth and exploration.
