MANILA, Philippines — Classes for the next school year will start on September 13, the Department of Education said Thursday after President Rodrigo Duterte picked the date among options the department gave him.
Under Republic Act 11480, which became law in 2020, the president can set the date of the opening of classes in areas under a state of calamity or emergency. Previously, the law required DepEd to set the first day of classes between the first Monday of June and the last day of August.
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"The school calendar for [School Year] 2021-2022 will be released soon," DepEd said in a statement.
"We hope for our stakeholders' continued cooperation and support as we prepare for another challenging yet worthwhile endeavor of educating our children amid a global health crisis."
Classes in the Philippines will be held through distance education which includes printed modules, online classes and video lessons until the president allows a return to classroom learning. Duterte has said this can only happen when more people are vaccinated against COVID-19.
The shift to modular learning has presented problems, among them lack of access to the internet and to gadgets needed for online classes. Questions have also been raised over the quality of the education that students are getting through the new system.
A teachers' group, citing a survey conducted in March and April, said it has also taken a toll on teachers' physical and mental health.
Public education in the Philippines faced challenges in funding and in facilities even before the pandemic. — Jonathan de Santos