Law May Be Amended To Change Start Of Classes In Philippines
START OF CLASSES – As the Philippines continues to struggle to contain the coroanvirus, concerns arise regarding the start of classes.
Previously, it was announced that classes would be moved to August of this year. However, because of the continued rise of cases, some argue that opening schools too soon would cause even more infections.
As such, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque stated:
Kung mataas pa rin ang banta sa ating mga kabataan, siguro kinakailangan amyendahan ng Kongreso ang batas na ‘yan
Moreover, Roque emphasized that the Department Of Education (DepEd) was merely following the law when it announced opening classes in August.
Under the Republic Act No. 7977, the school year shall start on the first Monday of June but not later than the last day of August.
Meanwhile, private schools along with local or state universities and colleges will be allowed to open. However, they must not have any face-to-face classes earlier than August 24.
According to a report from PNA, once schools have reopened, they would be encouraged to integrate face-to-face learning with distance learning.
Previously, Senate President Vicente Sotto III filed a bill that aimed to allow the opening of classes in September or any further month. This was made so that DepEd could prepare and adapt to the new curriculum for the “new normal”.
Furthermore, DepEd has canceled all activities that may involve a physical mass gathering of people unless through an online platform. These activities include sports fairs, campus journalism events, and similar activities.
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