THE DEPARTMENT of Education will not require public and private schools in Davao region to conduct face-to-face classes, its spokesperson Jenielito Atillo said.

Atillo said the statement of Education Secretary Leonor Briones that the department is looking forward to the full reimplementation of face-to-face classes aimed to encourage institutions to fully reopen after more than two years of blended learning.

He said that the conduct of in-person classes will depend on the readiness of schools.

“While DepEd really wants to go back to face-to-face, we are beholden to the fact that we have to comply with existing regulations of the IATF,” Atillo said.

“The reality is that Covid-19 remains. We should not lower our guard just because we are vaccinated or we may have forgotten about it,” he added.

The academic year will end on June 24.

Atillo also said that the department has yet to decide when classes will begin for School Year 2022-2023.