For more than two years, most schools in the country were closed and education was done online and at home through learning modules administered by parents and guardians.

Vice President and Department of Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte ended the nationwide academe lockdown last August despite fears from some health officials, parents and teachers about catching Covid-19. Her decision to reopen classes and restore 100 percent face-to-face learning proved right.

Four months hence and with no reports of coronavirus outbreaks in campuses, DepEd has assured that health safety protocols put in place are adequately protecting students, teachers and school personnel against the disease that is still infecting an average of 1,000 people nationwide per day.

“The return of face-to-face classes was the biggest achievement not only for the DepEd but for the whole country,” DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa told the Daily Tribune in an interview.

“It was very difficult for us to have face-to-face classes in the past two years because of the pandemic. But I would like to emphasize that this is not just an achievement of the DepEd, our partners from the national agencies, parents, stakeholders, as well as the media who helped us in disseminating information to make the resumption of face-to-face classes orderly,” Poa said.