City Councilor Malcolm Sanchez, chairman of the committee on education, said they only encountered minor problems during the opening of classes.
Some of those were violations of health protocols, such as wearing of face masks. The parents were reminded of the guidelines, he added.
Sanchez also said all the elementary students in public schools in Mandaue City were given disaster kits to protect them from possible diseases.
The kits have hygiene tools, such as a toothbrush, face mask, bar soap, wet wipes, and alcohol, among others. It also has first aid tools, a hard hat, a flashlight, and a raincoat.
Sanchez commended the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) for providing enough security to each school.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Franco Rudolf Oriol, deputy city director for operations and spokesperson of the MCPO, said they deployed at least 248 police personnel to ensure the security of students, among others, for the first day of classes.
Oriol also said they had not recorded any crime incidents during the first day of school.
Student adjustments
Meanwhile, Nimfa Bongo, Department of Education (DepEd) Division of Mandaue City superintendent, said most problems teachers encountered on Monday were some students did not want to attend school without their parents.
Maybe it is because they studied at home for two years, so they got used to it, said Bongo.
But Bongo reiterated that the class opening in Mandaue went smoothly.
Schedule confusion
In Umapad Elementary School, Karem Bolok, school principal, said they had a slight difficulty with the shifting schedules of students.
Earlier, lawyer Marinel Oro, DepEd-Division of Mandaue public information officer, said the students in Mandaue will observe the shifting of classes to gradually prepare for the full implementation of in-person classes in November.
Oro said students are divided into two sets: Set A must attend school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, while Set B must attend on Thursdays and Fridays. The schedules are reversed every week.
But Bolok said some students listed for set B came to school, creating confusion among students and teachers.
Bolok also said that they received several late enrollees, but she could not determine the exact number.
She said they advised the parents to come to school in the afternoon.
“Ana man gud na nuh na culture nas mga ginikanan nga dili mag pa enroll during the enrollment time, adto na nas abli sa klase,” said Bolok.
She said the first day of classes in Umapad Elementary School was general good.
Edwin Jumao-as, the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team) head, said the traffic in the city was only light to moderate during the rush hours in the morning despite the opening of classes. (HIC)