The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA) appealed to Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte to allow hybrid or blended learning to continue for the 2022-2023 school year rather than hold in-person classes five days a week starting November.

COCOPEA Managing Director Joseph Noel Estrada made the appeal after Duterte issued Deped Order No. 34 on July 11.

"We don't have a problem with the opening of classes. We only have an appeal to our DepEd secretary to remove the ban on blended or hybrid learning by November because the department order number 34 says by November five days in person classes should be implemented including in private schools," he said.

"Our appeal is to allow us to have flexibility. For example, there are schools that will implement three days face-to-face classes with one day rest and one day asynchronous," he added.

Estrada said aside from the capacity problem COCOPEA believes that blended learning can improve the quality of education.

"We have concern in our capacity. If we will make all the students come to school , maybe we will not be able to observe the social distancing we might not be supervising it properly," he said.

Aside from capacity, (we also have concern on) the quality of learning, we think hybrid or blended learning is the future of education not only in the country but even in other countries. I think the combination of online and in person learning will further improve the quality," he added.

Estrada noted that COCOPEA is not against face-to-face classes. "We are just saying that blended learning should also be allowed, and there are parents that preferred blended learning," he added. Robina Asido/DMS