The Church-run Notre Dame University (NDU) here has announced it has been allowed by the government to hold limited face-to-face (F2F) classes in its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program amid the global pandemic.

On Monday, NDU President Fr. Francis Zabala of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) congregation, said in a statement that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) 12 (Soccsksargen) and the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MBHTE-BARMM) have separately granted NDU the certificates of authority.

This city where NDU is situated now forms part of the BARMM after its residents voted “yes” into joining the fledgling region during a two-part plebiscite held on Jan. 29 and Feb. 6, 2019.

“(The) NDU has been found to have complied the minimum requirements set by CHED and the Department of Education through the joint Memorandum Circular No. 2021-001,” Zabala said.

He clarified that the limited F2F authority only applies to the College of Nursing and not in other disciplines and programs.

“Let us all continue our efforts and precautionary measures to ensure our safety on campus and pray for everyone’s good health and the university’s sustainability so that we can continue educating our students for social transformation,” Zabala told NDU faculty and staff in the same statement.

He said NDU online classes have started on Sept. 8, 2021, while the schedule for face-to-face nursing classes will be announced soon.

Established in the early 1950s, the NDU is the lone private university in Cotabato City serving students in the nearby provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and parts of Lanao del Sur and Bukidnon.

It is owned and managed by the OMI, a congregation of Catholic missionary priests who are active in Mindanao education and peace-building activities serving mostly Moro communities in mainland Mindanao and Sulu. (PNA)