DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 27 Oct) – Mayor Sara Duterte lashed out at the Department of Education (DepEd)-Davao Region after seeing minors loitering on the streets during class hours, and directed the agency to undertake a “regular schedule of compliance check of students and their performance tasks according to their modules.”

Duterte asked DepEd-Davao – including private schools, colleges, and universities – to find a way on how to make the students stay indoors, urging them to do something about their attendance and modules, particularly from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Do not expect us in the city government to go after these students who are supposedly handled by DepEd, by their private schools, and by their colleges and universities… Do not always depend on us to look for these children who are just strolling outside,” she said during her live interview over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5).

She said the local authorities have seen more “senior high school and college-looking students” meeting and gathering with friends outside their homes, instead of staying indoors to accomplish school activities.

The mayor said she understands that parents of the students might be busy with work and could not attend to their children.

“Their parents, I don’t know, they could be busy with work. We understand that there are so many things to do,” she said.[]/a> with |||

Duterte said there is one area in the city where violators of the quarantine guidelines were mostly minors.

“So please I’m calling out to the schools both private and public, and higher education, make sure that your students are inside the residences.

Make a system to check that they are inside their residences during the school hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” she said.

Section 15 of Executive Order 57 issued by the mayor on Monday directs all public school advisers “to have a regular schedule of compliance check of students and their performance tasks according to their modules.”

“Checking must be unannounced and conducted at random times from Monday to Friday within the hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. All students found to be missing inside their residences or not within 3 meters of their residences during school hours shall receive an equivalent grade reduction in their subjects,” the order said.

It added that all barangay law enforcers are required to take note of the date, time and names of all students who are more than three meters away from residences from Monday to Friday during class hours and submit the list to the school principal/head for the requisite grade reduction.

DepEd-Davao assistant regional director Evelyn R. Fetalvero directed the public school officials to monitor the attendance of their learners.

“This Office directs school division superintendents, chief education supervisors, education program supervisors, all public schools district supervisors, cluster heads, school heads and teachers to establish a mechanism that will strategically and randomly monitor the attendance of learners to ensure that they are at home doing their expected tasks while they are being facilitated by their parents or guardians,” she said.

As of October 26, the Department of Health-Davao reported 4,771 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases with 1,096 active, 3,504 recoveries, and 171 deaths. Of the total, 3,231 were reported in Davao City, 280 in Davao de Oro, 515 in Davao del Norte, 330 in Davao del Sur, 96 in Davao Occidental, and 319 in Davao Oriental.

Duterte reimposed the curfew and liquor ban from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
last October 15 until December 31 of this year to control the movement of the public for “non-essential” activities. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)