THE DEPARTMENT of Education updated the school safety assessment tool to mobilize and prepare schools for the safe, effective and efficient conduct of face-to-face learning.

The revised SSAT focuses on four main areas — Managing School Operations, Focusing on Teaching and Learning, Well-being and Protection and School-Community Coordination. These will be used to assess the readiness of schools to hold physical classes.

Under Managing School Operations, schools need to receive support from community stakeholders, emphasizing the shared responsibility framework. They must conduct simulation activities among school personnel regarding managing the conduct of face-to-face classes, and ensure that learners who will participate in the expansion must submit their parent’s consent.

On Focusing on Teaching and Learning, schools must secure sufficient supply of learning resources for learners in face-to-face class arrangement and distance learning education.

Participating schools must develop strategies to prevent Covid19 transmission among stakeholders and maintain the provision of basic mental health services and psychosocial support to ensure their well-being and protection.

In addition, a school must develop an implementation plan for coordination with the local government to ensure that health and safety protocols have been observed correctly and for the implementation of school-based immunization, among others.

“We ensure that the health, safety, and well-being of our learners, teachers, and personnel remain our utmost priority. Our revised SSAT will help the Department mobilize the progressive expansion of our face to face classes in areas under Alert 1 and 2,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said.

“Our SSAT will not be the final determinant if a school will participate in our progressive expansion. It is our way to prepare our schools for the eventual reopening and to inform them of the required indicators and standards that they need to meet to ensure the safety of our learners and school personnel,” Briones said.

As of April 18, 26,997 schools have been nominated to participate in face-to-face classes. Of these, 23, 963 are already implementing the progressive expansion of in-person classes.