CHEd order ditches full online, distance learning

The Commission on Higher Education has ordered higher educational institutions to enforce full face-to-face teaching or hybrid online and in-person learning setups, effectively disallowing the conduct of full online and distance learning.

Under CHEd's Memorandum Order 16 issued on 11 November, at least 50 percent of the learrning period should be devoted to onsite education starting on the second semester of the current academic year.

"Unless there is an approval from the Commission on Higher Education, an HEI cannot offer its recognized degree programs in full distance learning delivery, including fully online modality," CHEd said in Section 3(2) of the memo.

Laboratory and on-the-job training are also covered by the order, as CHEd allowed onsite conduct of said activities.

CHEd has also instructed HEIs to submit teaching and learning plans in the transition towards face-to-face and hybrid learning.

Schools have enforced a purely online and remote mode of learning for students for the last two academic years since 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, to control the spread of the disease.

The transition back to face-to-face learning was done gradually starting with select elementary and high schools in November 2021, and with HEIs starting with the current academic year 2022 to 2023.