THE COMMISSION on Higher Education has ordered the Isabela Colleges, Inc. to stop conducting face-to-face classes after one student tested positive for Covid19.

The CHED has issued a show cause order directing the school to explain why it should not be sanctioned for violating the advisories issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force and the commission.

The student, a local government employee in Cauayan City, attended an orientation on August 29.

City Health Officials had to trace 45 individuals who had contact with the student.

Isabela Colleges admitted that it started conducting classes on August 24, 2020. The classes also served as orientation  sessions for the students.

The commission said holding face-to-face classes violates the directive earlier issued by CHED.

“The CHED Advisories have consistently advised HEIs to refrain from conducting face-to-face or in-person classes or mass gatherings in their campuses. This has been disseminated in the print and broadcast media and in several zoom meetings with HEIs considering the threat of community transmission due to the mass gathering of students. The CHED has not issued any policy to allow face-to-face classes and the IATF clearly states that limited face-to-face classes in low risk MGCQ areas must comply with CHED guidelines,” CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III said.

On May 24, 2020, CHED issued Covid Advisory No. 7 which disallowed mass gathering, in-person graduation ceremo-nies and other school activities.

The CHED will issue a show cause order giving the school 10 days to explain why no sanctions should be imposed on its officials, teaching or non-teaching personnel for failing to comply with the commission’s directives.