Several schools fail to hold full face-to-face classes due to lack in classrooms

Problems that come with shortage in classrooms continue to hound several schools in the country, resulting in some of them not being able to push through with the kick-off of the five-day face-to-face classes on Wednesday, November 2.

In Quezon City, Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Jenilyn Rose Corpuz said there were 10 out of 158 schools that could not implement the full face-to-face classes due to lack in classrooms.

“Ang ginagawa nila ay blended learning na kung saan three days in and two days out,” she said on GMA News’ Unang Balita interview.

(What they do is blended learning where they're in school for three days and out for two days.)

“For the meantime, ‘yung iba po, as much as we would like to build more buildings, wala na pong buildable spaces sa ating mga schools,” she added.

(As much as we would like to build more buildings, there are no more buildable spaces in our schools.)

Among these schools was the Batasan National High School, with some classrooms having to be partitioned into two just to address the shortage.

Based on a report of GMA Integrated News’ James Agustin, only 100 classes belonging in the school’s star section and special programs could hold the five-day in-person classes because they have bigger classrooms.

Other sections with smaller classrooms, on the other hand, will continue to implement the “in-school, out-school” approach or blended learning.

There were over 18,700 students from Grade 7 to Grade 12 enrolled in Batasan National High School for the current academic year.

Meanwhile, Payatas B Elementary School Principal Lhey Meneses said they also face the same problem and thus have to implement shifting in class schedules.

He said that their Grade 6 students will attend classes in the morning and Grade 5 students in the afternoon.

“Most naa-accommodate naman po, but we still need classrooms. Siyempre with the limited space in Payatas B Elementary School, gagawan natin ng paraan for the partitioning na lang ng mga established na na classrooms for future enrollment naman,” he said.

(We could accommodate most of the students, but we still need classrooms. Of course with the limited space in Payatas B Elementary School, we will make a way for the partitioning of the already established classrooms for future enrollment.)

DepEd spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa on Tuesday acknowledged that there is still a shortage of classrooms and teachers in several public schools, but said the implementation of the five-day full face-to-face classes would continue as planned.

To address this, Poa said that highly-congested schools like those in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Calabarzon would still have to implement shifting of class schedules to cater to all students.

He also reiterated that DepEd was looking to hire around 10,000 teachers for the next school year.

Despite their concern with the lack of classrooms, the Payatas B Elementary School pushed through with the full in-person classes.

Their students were seen wearing their face masks although a bit crowded in classrooms. In one room, 45 students were all present as compared to the 20 attending a class in the previous months.

“Actually, ‘yan ang pagkakaiba sa full-blast face-to-face class na talaga pong dine-defy na po natin ‘yung social distancing kasi we have to accommodate all the learners inside the class. Kasi nga po, five days in-person classes, so lahat po papasok na,” Meneses said.

(Actually, that's the difference with full-blast face-to-face classes — we really have to defy social distancing because we have to accommodate all the learners inside the class. Because it's five days of in-person classes, everyone will be going to school now.)

Corpuz said they highly encourage students to continue wearing their face masks, especially if they are in a classroom with such a class size.

DepEd confirmed on Tuesday that students and teachers attending face-to-face classes may now opt to remove their face masks even in classrooms.

This is in accordance with the Executive Order No. 7, signed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., which made the wearing of face masks indoors and outdoors optional in the entire country. —KBK, Giselle Ombay/GMA News