President Rodrigo Duterte approved Monday night the dry run of face-to-face classes in January 2021 in areas classified as having a low risk of COVID-19 transmission, Malacañang said.
Face-to-face classes will be done voluntarily, Duterte's spokesperson Harry Roque said.
"A parent’s permit needs to be submitted for the student to participate in face-to-face classes," Roque said in a statement.
The Department of Education needs to coordinate with the COVID-19 National Task Force for the dry run, according to Roque, noting that it would be done under "strict health and safety measures, and where there is commitment for shared responsibility among DepEd, local government units and parents."
This year, the Philippines shifted to distance learning as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the conduct of traditional in-person classes.
