CHED seeks expansion of limited face-to-face classes to non-health courses

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Thursday said that it proposed to Malacañang to allow limited face-to-face classes in modified general community quarantine  (MCGQ) areas and include other courses aside from health allied programs.

In a congressional hearing on CHED's 2022 proposed budget, CHED Chairman Prospero "Popoy" De Vera III reported that this proposal is already endorsed by the Inter-Agency Task Force but is still awaiting the President's approval.

He is seeking to expand face-to-face classes in the following courses in MGCQ areas:

• Engineering
• Hospitality/Hotel and restaurant management
• Tourism and travel Management
• Marine Engineering
• Marine Transportation

"I went to  IATF to ask that limited face to face classes be allowed in certain areas in MGCQ areas so that some courses that need hands-on experience will be able to continue face-to-face," said De Vera.

De Vera further said, without face-to-face classes, the "competency" of graduates of these courses might be "questioned."

As of July 2021, De Vera said 13,188  students can attend limited classes while 1,048 faculty members are able to do limited classes in 118 higher education institutions all over the country.

Of the number of students, 9,795 were fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, 1,003 out of 1,048 faculty members were fully inoculated.

De Vera also assured the Congress that there were no hospitalizations and deaths recorded among the participants in limited face-to-face classes.—LDF, GMA News