CORDILLERAN students under the K-12 program will be undergoing limited face-to-face classes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and increasing costs of operation brought on by rising fuel and basic goods prices, the Department of Education(DepEd) said on Wednesday.
“More than 40,000 K-12 pupils in the region will have to take turns so each of them will have a chance to attend physical lectures for three days a week and spend the remaining two days with homework to avoid crowding classrooms,” said Estela Cariño, DepEd Cordillera director.
Due to the distance of some schools from community centers and workplaces in the region, the commute is expected to become far too expensive for some teachers and students, Cariño said.
Cariño said that the DepEd will be transitioning to a four-day workweek to lower operational costs for both teachers and students.
Early K-12 enrollment figures for the school year 2022-2023 in the Cordillera totaled 85,055 as of May 5.
However, only 29.13 percent or some 72,754 out of the region’s targeted 249,754 pediatric population are vaccinated, with only Abra province having met or exceeded its targeted teen population.
