UNIVERSITIES and colleges offering industrial technology programs have requested the Commission on Higher Education to allow the conduct of limited face-to-face laboratory classes.

Dr. Raul Muyong, national president of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities of Industrial Technology, said they submitted the proposed guidelines for limited in-person classes to CHED last month.

He expressed hope that CHED will grant their request.

Muyong stressed that it is important to hold laboratory classes because it is impossible to cook or repair machines by drawing on the blackboard.

“The nature of industrial technology is more on skills and not remote learning. The proposal was presented before the Office of Programs and Standards Development last week,” he said.

Muyong said that 50 percent of the required number of hours will be held in school laboratories and another 50 percent of the student enrolled in the class will be allowed at a time.

CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III earlier said the commission plans to recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte to allow in-person classes for programs such as Engineering, Information Technology, Industrial Technology, Maritime, among others.

Last January, Duterte approved the holding of limited in-person classes for medicine and allied health sciences courses in universities and colleges in areas under modified general community quarantine.