THE DEPARTMENT of Education hopes for the continuous expansion of the implementation of limited face-to-face classes as more Filipinos got inoculated against Covid19 during the National Covid19 Vaccination Days.

The government administered 10,254,560 Covid19 vaccines nationwide during its jab blitz from November 29 to December 3. It even recorded its highest five-level average since March 2021 with the daily jab rate reaching 2.05 million in the past week.

“Kaya kami ay tuwang-tuwa and it’s a great honor for us to work with Secretary Duque and Secretary Galvez and Vince [Dizon] sa kampanyang ito kasi ang success ng education is very dependent on the health of our children and we need to protect our children hindi lamang iyong 12-17 years old na mga bata, pero lahat including the parents themselves,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said during the Bayanihan, Bakunahan Culminating Activity on Thursday.

“Malaki ang aming interest na mag-open ng face-to-face hindi lamang sa mga lugar na walang masyadong tao kundi sa mga urban areas. We’re thinking largely of NCR, also of Region IV-A, and the large cities na napakaraming mga bata naka-concentrate doon,” the DepEd chief added.

Briones encouraged parents to have their children vaccinated as the resumption of physical classes relies on the outcome of the immunization campaign.

“So iyong ating pag-asa ng bayan, siguro makausad na tayo by 2022 by end December, tatapusin na natin itong pilot and talagang i-implement na natin ang tunay na polisiya para sa edukasyon, blended learning, kombinasyon ng digital learning at saka face-to-face at bigyan natin ang mga bata ng pagkakataon na makakita din sila ng iba pang mga bata,” she said.

Meanwhile, National Task Force Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. noted that 32 percent or 6.5 million of the 8,900,078 who were vaccinated in the first three days of the immunization campaign were aged 12 to 17.

“Matagumpay nating naisagawa ang national vaccination days dahil sa tulong, suporta, at pakiki-isa ng bawat mamamayang Pilipino. Sa ating pong patuloy na pagbabayanihan, 39.57 of almost 40 million na Pilipino ang fully vaccinated na. Samantalang 57.64 million ang kabuohang bilang ng nabakunahan na sa napakalaking naidulot ng national vaccination days sa ating pagpapalawig sa vaccination program sa buong bansa,” Galvez said.