EDUCATION Secretary Leonor Briones said that face-to-face classes will be implemented only if President Rodrigo Duterte and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases allow it.

In a virtual press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday, Briones declared that her department continues to implement distant learning.

“Hanggang ngayon, iyon ang policy [no face-to-face classes] ng President [at] hindi pa niya binabago,” she said.

However, she admitted that the DepEd is studying the possibility of conducting limited face-to-face classes next year.

“We are preparing a report for the President on our current experience with the opening of classes, at klaro naman na kung magkaroon ng face-to-face, it will be very limited to areas which are absolutely safe, there will be conditions from the Department of Health; there will also be conditions coming from us. Hindi po lahat-lahat, [hindi] sabay-sabay iyan na mag-face-to-face, kung payag si President,” Briones explained.

“We are now looking into that. But uulitin ko, definitely not this year at definitely walang mga arrangements right now with kung sinumang mga grupo na magpi-face-to-face at this time because the President has not made any pronouncement at all,” she added.

Briones directed a study on reconceptualizing learning spaces post-Covid, which include not just classroom, but homes, community spaces, and virtual space.