BACOLOD CITY - Some 24 schools in various levels under the Department of Education Schools Division Office of Negros Occidental (DepEd-NegOcc) are holding limited face-to-face classes while 13 others approved this week will follow suit. Ian Arnold Arnaez, DepEd-NegOcc information officer, said on Thursday those approved on April 5 are expected to start in-campus classes after the Holy Week. At least 12 more schools have signified their intent to implement in-person classes and their applications are now being validated, he added. Those with limited face-to-face classes are Valladolid National High School-Senior High School and Aguntilang Elementary School, which were the initial two selected in the pilot last December. Arnaez said the DepEd uses the school safety assessment tool to determine the readiness of the school for the limited face-to-face classes. Schools eligible to participate in the in-person classes are those in minimal-risk areas based on criteria set by the Department of Health; passed the school safety assessment; have expressed support from the local government unit in the form of a resolution or letter of support; and secured expressed support and consent of parents of students who will participate in the reopening of face-to-face classes. The DepEd said limited face-to-face classes aim to address the difficulty in monitoring and assessing learning progress remotely; mitigate inequalities and unevenness in access to technology, household resources, and student skills for self-learning; and allow the resumption of activities that cannot be done at home, such as the workshop requirements in the technical-vocational track. There is also a need to ease the negative mental health impact of the lack of face-to-face interaction among children and address the absence of more responsible adults in the family qualified to take the role of learning facilitator. With the resumption of face-to-face classes, schools can help in the enforcement of health standards in school settings, the DepEd added. The 13 newly approved are Alijis Elementary School, Ayungon Elementary School, Batuan Elementary School, Emilio Infante Elementary School, La Castellana National High School-JHS, La Castellana National High School-SHS, Ma. Palacios Presbitero Elementary School, Mananawin Elementary School, Manghanoy National High School, Negros Occidental High School, Pacol Elementary School, Tabao Elementary School, and Valladolid Elementary School. (PNA) }