Monday Blues

After two years of implementing distance learning due to the pandemic, Negros College welcomes its senior high school students for the face-to-face classes on Monday, August 22. The empty halls and corridors of the campus roared when returnees and transferees flocked around the campus greeting their longtime friends while extending arms to the new ones.

“Ga look forward ko kuya ba na fruitful gani ang year kay f2f na,” said CJ Bassilo, eleventh grader hoping for a productive school year ahead. As the school is slowly transitioning from distance learning to full in-person classes, the school has started implementing classroom shifts and blended learning.

Recognizing the challenges with the reintroduction of in-person learning a spokesperson for the Department of Education (DepEd), Michael Poa, stated at a news conference on Friday, August 19, that 29,721 schools will use blended learning while 24,175 schools will adopt five days of in-person instruction.

The Philippines’ education system is largely unprepared for distance learning, therefore the country’s return to in-person instruction is long needed. DepEd stated that weeks prior to the start of classes, preparations for the start of the school year were already in progress. Both public and private schools will have a three-month transition time, according to DepEd.