MANILA — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is planning to seek President Rodrigo Duterte's approval to allow other degree programs to hold limited in-person classes, the agency's head said Wednesday.

But the proposal depends on whether it can be proven that in-person instruction is safe for learners, based on the "first batch" of medical and allied health students that was allowed to hold limited face-to-face sessions, CHED Chairman Prospero "Popoy" de Vera said.

The proposed expansion covers degree programs that require hands-on activities such as engineering and information technology.

"Kung makikita sa datos na talagang ligtas ang mga bata dahil sa compliance sa guidelines, ang aking gagawin ay pupunta ako kay President Duterte at hihingan ng approval na i-expand ito sa iba pang degree program na kailangan din ng face-to-face," he said at the Laging Handa briefing.

(If we can see from the data that the students are really safe because of compliance to guidelines, what I will do is go to President Duterte and ask for his approval to expand face-to-face classes for other degree programs.)

• Limited face-to-face classes sa ilang kolehiyo, unibersidad umarangkada na

Video courtesy of PTV-4

The CHED has so far received only one report of a COVID-19 infection among those holding in-person classes, which happened in Eastern Visayas, De Vera said.

"Pinag-aaralan na ng regional office ng CHED kung ano ang dahilan at bakit nagkaroon ng infection," he said.

(The CHED's regional office is studying the reason behind the infection.)

Seventy-three colleges and universities have been allowed to hold limited face-to-face classes for their medical and allied health programs, according to De Vera.

Vaccinate students

De Vera said the government should also prioritize vaccinating college students that would attend limited face-to-face classes.

He noted that college students are qualified to receive COVID-19 vaccines based on their age since most freshmen are already 18 years old while those attending limited in-person classes are third-year and fourth-year students aged 20.

De Vera said medical students currently attending limited face-to-face classes have already been inoculated against the disease because the Department of Health classified them as medical frontliners.

Due to the COVD-19 pandemic, colleges and universities shifted to flexible learning, where students study from their homes through a blend of online (virtual classes) and offline (modules and other printed materials) methods.

• CHED hit for pushing flexible learning as new normal

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