Education Secretary Leonor Briones said they are eyeing a total of 1,114 schools to conduct the pilot run of face-to-face classes next year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Briones said that the department asked regional directors for their recommendation on which schools can carry out physical classes.

“1,114 na mga schools ang nominated by regional directors,” she said.

Briones said that the list will still have to be evaluated and the list will be significantly reduced depending on the local government unit and school capacity.

“The total number of public schools in the country is around 61,000,” she said.

The education chief added that the number of students allowed in a classroom will also be adjusted depending on the grade level and the space of the classroom.

“Halimbawa, kindergarten to Grade 3 — 25 kids. But we have to look at the classroom itself kasi we must comply with the requirement of social distancing. That is a major consideration” she said.

President Rodrigo Duterte approved on Monday the proposal to pilot test face-to-face classes in areas with low coronavirus cases.