The Department of Education (DepEd) is all set for the opening of the new school year with its issuance of the school calendar and activities for School Year (SY) 2020-2021, composed of 203 class days starting with the formal school opening on Aug. 24, 2020 until the end of school year on April 30, 2021.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones issued DepEd Order No. 007, series of 2020, or the “School Calendar and Activities for School Year 2020-2021” in line with the agency’s commitment to “ensure educational continuity amid the challenges” – particularly those brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic

“Education must continue to give hope and stability, contribute to the normalization of activities in the country, facilitate development of our learners and bring back normalcy to their lives, but health and safety of learners and school personnel are of utmost importance and must be protected at all times,” Briones said.

Briones explained that the push back in the formal school opening by nearly three months – from the traditional opening on the first Monday of June to August – is “intended to afford DepEd enough time to undertake the necessary preparations in what will be an extraordinarily challenging school year.”

DepEd issued the school calendar and activities after getting the approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF). “School opening will not necessarily mean traditional face-to-face learning in classroom,” Briones said. The physical opening of schools, she stressed, “will depend on the risk severity grading or classification of a locality” pursuant to guidelines of the Department of Health (DOH), IATF, or the Office of the President (OP).

Physical distancing a must

Even in areas where schools are allowed to open, Briones noted that “physical distancing will still be required, which will necessitate schools to combine face-to-face learning with distance learning.”

Because of the compressed school year, Briones also exercised her prerogative to authorize the holding of Saturdays classes through the conduct of distance learning activities to be undertaken by learners. “Should religious considerations prohibit these Saturday activities, they shall be undertaken on Sundays,” she added.

The learning intervention for Alternative Learning System (ALS), Briones said, shall also formally open on Aug. 24 “while the program duration will depend on the learner’s educational background or existing knowledge level prior to enrolling in the ALS Program.”

When it comes to private schools and state or local universities and colleges (SUCs/LUCs) that offer basic education, Briones said that they “will be allowed to open classes within the period authorized” by Republic Act No. 7797, which is on the first Monday of June but not later than the last day of August provided that “no face-to-face classes will be allowed earlier than August 24 and from then on, face-to-face classes may be conducted only in areas allowed to open physically.”

Private schools, SUCs, and LUCs that offer basic education are also asked to “submit in advance” their plans for compliance with minimum health standards consistent with guidelines of DOH, IATF, and OP; their own Learning Continuity Plan showing alternative delivery modes of learning when face-to-face learning is not allowed, in accordance with the guidelines to be issued by DepEd; and their own school calendar to respective regional offices (ROs) for “review and monitoring purposes.”

Teachers start service on June 1

Teachers will start rendering service on June 1 upon completion of summer vacation on May 31. They will attend orientation and training activities on the utilization of the distance learning delivery modalities, prepare instructional materials, and plan the organization of classes in consideration of the learning delivery modalities to be employed.

“If skeleton workforce will still be the operative government guidelines by June, DepEd shall issue the appropriate alternative work arrangements guidelines to the field to comply with prevailing policy, and to ensure safe work environment,” Briones said.

Enrollment is scheduled from June 1 to 30, 2020 for all learners intending to attend SY 2020-2021 – including those who enrolled during the early registration period in February 2020 given that circumstances have changed substantially. “It is important to validate the enrollment, so that teachers will be able to adequately plan the organization of their learners into classes, taking into consideration their particular circumstances,” Briones said.

“The enrollees and/or their parents/guardians shall provide information through an enrollment and survey form intended to collect important information to consider for the adoption of the relevant learning delivery strategies and modalities and to further provide support to learners for the school year,” Briones explained. “The enrolment process shall use online or other innovative ways to adhere to social distancing protocols,” she added.

Unless conducted through various online platforms, DepEd has cancelled conduct of curricular and co-curricular activities that involve gathering of large number of learners, such as science fairs, showcase of portfolios, trade fairs, school sports,campus journalism, festival of talents, job fairs, career orientation, and other similar activities. The “Palarong Pambansa” activities shall be decided separately by its own governing board.

Briones noted that a general assembly of stakeholders should be held at the beginning of the school year which can be done through appropriate mechanisms such as teleconferencing – among others.

The Christmas break shall begin on December 19, 2020 Saturday and the classes will resume on January 4, 2021.

Early Registration for incoming Kindergarten, Grades 1, 7, and 11 learners, Special Education (SPED) learners and out-of-school children and youth is scheduled from the last Saturday of January to the last Friday of February.

HEIs may open as early as August

Meanwhile, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) may open as early as August, 2020, as long as they utilize flexible learning arrangements to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the announcement after the IATF adopted the recommendations of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on higher learning institutions.

In his Thursday presser, Roque announced that the opening of classes will be based on education delivery mode:

1. HEIs using full online education can open anytime; 2. HEIs using flexible learning can open anytime in August 2020; 3. HEIs using significant residential (face-to-face/inperson) mode can open not earlier than September 1, 2020 in areas under the general community quarantine (GCQ); and 4. No residential (face-toface/in-person) classes until August 31, 2020

According to Roque, private HEIs are encouraged to change their academic calendar and open in August, 2020.

The CHED will continue to review conditions and discussions with HEIs.

Schools will have to make use of alternative learning options once the new school year starts. However, extra-curricular activities and events that draw large crowds will have to be suspended.

Schools in the country have been closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As it prepares for the “new normal’ in education due to the changes brought about by the COVID-19 crisis, the Department of Education (DepEd) underscores the important role of parents and guardians in making sure that the learning of their children will continue amid expected disruptions. 

DepEd Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla, in an earlier virtual press conference, noted that the agency has come up with a Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) as a response to changes in the basic education sector amid the public health emergency. DepEd is also scheduled to submit its recommendations to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on school opening and other related matters.

While the LCP will provide a framework on learning continuity of students, Sevilla said that the cooperation and support coming from parents will be very important as the entire basic education system braces for the so-called “new normal.”

Aside from the possible delay in school opening from June to August or later months, DepEd is preparing the implementation of multimodal approaches to learning such as online learning, Face-to-face classroom instruction may still not be possible if schools remain closed due to the continued threat of COVID-19. Smaller classrooms sizes, Saturday classes, and other alternative delivery modes (ADMs) are also being considered to ensure that learning of students will continue.

“The other aspect and I think this is really big, is the role of parents,” Sevilla said. “The role of the parents especially on an online platform is very relevant and huge,” she added. If online learning will be used, Sevilla said there are several considerations that would require parents’ participation and involvement such as the facility to be used, gadgets, internet connection, among others.

“Of course, the important part is the follow-up because after the children are exposed (to online learning) or once they have experienced the online platform learning, the next aspect is the follow-up, especially how the learner has performed after the online interaction,” Sevilla explained in a mix of English and Filipino.

Sevilla said that the scope of DepEd’s responsibilities may be extended to parents and other family members to ensure the success in implementing online learning. “If the parents or other family members like grandparents, aunties or uncles, and even the nanny, we need to give them orientation too,” she ended.