MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Higher Education on Tuesday said the coronavirus task force will discuss this week if students can soon be vaccinated for COVID-19.
Inoculation efforts in the country began in March and are still on priority groups such as health workers, senior citizens and those with comorbidities.
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Chairman Prospero de Vera III said the IATF will meet on the matter as other countries are also gearing up to vaccinate their students.
"In other parts of the world... they are reviewing their policy and thinking of prioritizing vaccinating students so they can go back to some face-to-face classes," he said in a press briefing as CHED marks the 1st National Higher Education Day.
Classes in the Philippines, both in the K-12 and in the tertiary level, have been carried out remotely since October 2020 due to the pandemic.
Groups have pressed the government for plans on a safe reopening, as they stressed that difficulties under the current setup could compromise students' learning.
"Also, this is a recognition that, especially for younger students, they are observing in other countries that mental health of students are really getting affected," the CHED chief added. "And they like the students to be going out of their homes more frequently."
The government has since allowed limited in-person learning to those in medical and health allied programs.
Recently, CHED also secured the IATF's nod to move up teaching and non-teaching personnel in colleges and universities on the priority list.
The said groups are now under A4, from being in B1. De Vera said this was crucial as processing of graduates' documents could be delayed.
"Our argument in the IATF was you need to vaccinate the skeletal workforce of HEIs because by July, students would have graduated, they would need their grades, transcript of records and diploma so they can take the licensure tests or look for a job," he said.
Vaccinations in the country are still on 16-years-old and above. Still, there has been progress on younger groups receiving their shots soon, as Pfizer was cleared in the United States for the use of 12 to 15 years of age.