DepEd to present proposals for school opening date to Duterte, Cabinet

The Department of Education said Thursday it had prepared proposals in connection with the opening date of the school year 2021-2022.

At the Laging Handa briefing, DepEd Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla said the proposals would be presented to the Cabinet and President Rodrigo Duterte for their consideration and approval.

Sevilla reiterated that the August 23 start date proposal is only one of the options since DepEd is mandated to open the school year not later than the last day of August under the law unless the President intervenes.

Last July, Duterte signed Republic Act 11480, which allows the chief executive to set at any date the opening of classes in case of a state of calamity or emergency.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Philippines to shift to distance learning this academic year, which includes the use of modules and supplemented by broadcast and online classes.

“We will not go back to face-to-face classes unless it is approved by the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) and the President,” Sevilla said.—AOL, GMA News