Palawan State University (PSU) has yet to execute 100 percent in-person classes for all of its colleges in Puerto Princesa City, despite Malacañang’s go signal enabling maximum classroom capacity in higher education institutions (HEIs) in areas under Alert Level 1 status.
Dr. Ramon Docto, president of the university, said they are still waiting for the city’s Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to give the green light before permitting all of their colleges to conduct full face-to-face classes.
He added that PSU must also first acquire parental authorization for students.
“IATF pa rin ang mag-decide, kasi may mga mga requirements ‘yan katulad ‘yong parents may waiver na pinapayagan nila ‘yong kanilang mga anak, kaya may mga consultation pa with the parents,” Docto said in a phone interview on Sunday.
However, he said that for programs requiring laboratory classes, they will prioritize bringing back face-to-face learning. Other colleges, he continued, have already restarted in-person learning since their programs are lab-intensive.
“’Yong ibang colleges bumalik na, we started with the College of Nursing and Midwifery. Kasi ‘yan ang may laboratory. Ang next na nag-apply ay ang College of Engineering, College of Hospitality Management and Tourism, Criminology, and College of Sciences. Ang tawag dito ay limited kasi uunahin muna ‘yong face-to-face doon sa mga laboratory subjects nila, pero ‘yong mga lectures ay online pa rin,” he explained.
“’Yong ibang courses may mga requirements pa kami sa kanila, kailangan fully-vaccinated ang mga students,” he added.
Other higher education institutions, such as the Western Philippines University (WPU), Holy Trinity University (HTU), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have yet to issue statements on their plans for the resumption of face-to-face learning.
