Resumption of in-Person Classes in the State-Run Basic Education Institutions in the Philippines: Lived Experience of Filipino Junior High School Students.

Abstract

With the development of the COVID-19 vaccine and the majority of the population now vaccinated, Covid-19 cases are declining. Thus, schools at present are now allowed to resume limited in-person classes. This study was a phenomenological research design used to describe the lived experience of the students enrolling in limited face-to-face classes in public schools in Cebu, Philippines. The eight (8) participants in the study were purposively selected using the data saturation method. The result of the study yielded six (6) core themes: (1) Awareness of the new routines in life, (2) Uneasiness in strict compliance with Safety and Health Protocols, (3) Financial and transportation dilemmas, (4) Cautious in interacting with the people, (5) Magnitude of face-to-face class, (6) Support from significant others. The findings revealed that students do encounter different forms of challenges in the resumption of limited face-to-face classes, yet with the strong support of their significant others, different individuals, and organizations, they were able to cope with the challenges they met during the transition process of in-person instruction. It implies that each student in the new normal needs any form of support, particularly from family and relatives. The study recommends that the government support the students and the schools to have a safe and successful holding of in-person classes, particularly vehicles that will fetch students going to school and coming back home to ease and comfort not only the students but their parents as well. Likewise, the government must monitor and supervise strictly and religiously the implementation of health and safety protocols of the department of education.