TAWI-TAWI – The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) – Tawi-Tawi Division begun yesterday, Feb. 21, the pilot implementation of the face-to-face (F2F) classes in three selected elementary schools here.
This came after a memorandum on Thursday, Feb. 17, from the MBHTE regional office ordering Tawi-Tawi division to proceed with the piloting implementation of the F2F classes, after the province’s alert level status has been lifted from alert level 3 to alert level 2.
The selected schools undergoing a 4-week pilot implementation of the in-person classes are Provincial Housing Laboratory School (PHLS) in Bongao Municipality, LT Laja Idanan Elementary School in Sapa-Sapa Municipality, and Corazon Abubakar Iran Memorial Center Elementary School in Tandubas Municipality.
Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Fatima Abubakar said the three above-mentioned schools have undergone validation from the MBHTE regional team and found to have full compliance to School Safety Assessment Tools (SSAT) for the pilot run of the F2F classes.
“Actually, we have submitted six schools for validation – three priority and three alternates, however, only the three above-stated schools passed the screening and approval from the regional team. We were supposed to have started on February 14 together with Basilan but Tawi-Tawi was still on alert level 3 on that particular date,” she said.
Moreover, the SDS conveyed a message instructing other schools in the province to prepare for ‘expansion’ after the 4-week piloting implementation in the three schools. “The heads should make their schools ready for this move and hopefully, for the new normal situation,” Abubakar said.
Meanwhile, PHLS Principal Jeba Jalim said she is happy that the validating team has found her school to have complete compliance to School Safety Assessment Tools (SSAT) and selected it to conduct the face-to-face classes.
“I have 1,044 enrollees and 56 teachers including me and my staff who are so excited to go back to school after two years of pandemic caused by Covid -19,” she said.
“Modular distance learning is good but F2F class instruction is better,” Principal Jalim added. (Abdel Nasser Tahang/BIO)
