DepEd: Private schools can hold hybrid and remote classes past November 2
MANILA, Philippines — Private schools will be allowed to continue implementing either blended or full distance learning setups past November 2, the Department of Education announced Monday.
This comes after the department issued an addition to its earlier order outlining the school calendar and activities for the academic year 2022-2023.
DepEd Order No. 044, s. 2022 amends the initial calendar to give private schools the option to implement five days of in-person classes, full distance learning, or a blended learning modality, defined as three days of in-person classes and two days of distance learning or four days in person and one day of distance learning.
"After November 2, no public school shall be allowed to implement pure distance or blended learning except for those allowed by the regional director, those whose classes are canceled due to disasters, and those implementing Alternative Delivery Modes," the DepEd said.
On the other hand, the national government said that public schools "shall have transitioned to 5 days [of] in-person classes" also starting November 2, per an earlier DepEd order dated October 17.
Earlier, Vice President Sara Duterte, concurrently Education Secretary said her department's focus on face-to-face classes would still remain top priority while remaining open to the "possibility of the institutionalization of a blended learning mode of instruction."
Private schools are among the hardest-hit learning institutions amid the coronavirus pandemic in the country. In 2020, per official estimates from the department, some 400,000 students were forced to move from private to public schools.
According to the Department of Education at a press briefing in August, some 425 private schools around the country also decided to permanently close their doors largely due to the overwhelming costs incurred during the pandemic.
The World Bank in a 2021 study found that around 9 in 10 Philippine children were suffering from “learning poverty”, which is defined as 10-year-old children being unable to read and understand a simple story.
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