- MITCH M. LIPA
The University of St. La Salle was the first school in Bacolod City granted permission by the Commission on Higher Education to resume face to face classes, but in limited capacity and courses.
The USLS application was approved only last week and made it the first school in Bacolod City to pass the requirements to resume in-person classes, CHEd Region 6 focal person, Dr. Arnold Anceno, said.
Rowela Alayon-Chiu, USLS dean of Student Affairs, said that CHEd allowed the university to resume limited face to face classes in Medicine and Nursing that will start on Nov. 22.
She added that CHEd chairperson Prospero de Vera will visit the university on Nov. 23.
Anceno said that other universities and colleges in Bacolod City can still apply for in-person classes for selected courses.
He said the USLS application was evaluated by members of a committee composed of representatives from the regional offices of the Department of Health, Department of the Interior and the Local Government, CHEd, and the Bacolod City government.
Two more colleges and one university in Bacolod have also signified their intention to comply with the requirements needed by an evaluation task force, Anceno said.
The Southland College in Kabankalan City and the Northern Negros State College Science and Technology in Sagay City were the first two schools in Negros Occidental that were given permission to hold in-person classes.
Initially approved for limited face to face learning are the schools of Medicine, Nursing, and other medical-related courses that belong to the first group.
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, on Sept. 21, 2021, also issued the authority for face to face activities in Engineering and Technology programs, Hospitality/Hotel and Restaurant Management, Tourism/ Travel Management, Marine Engineering, and Marine Transportation, De Vera said earlier.
Anceno added that the application for face to face classes started several months ago and some schools, particularly in Iloilo City, prepared and completed the requirements early and were already given approval.
The CHED said other schools in Bacolod and Negros Occidental may also be completing the requirements that include the vaccination rate in schools and communities, the readiness of the school, and coordination with local government units. — MML
