Public school classes for school year 2023-2024 set on August 29

MANILA, Philippines — Classes in all public schools will start August 29 this school year 2023 to 2024, the Department of Education has announced.

Meanwhile, private schools can begin classes on any day not later than the last day of August, DepEd said in an advisory on Thursday.

In 2022, DepEd also opened classes during the last week of August. More than 28 million students enrolled in public schools for school year 2022 to 2023, based on DepEd data.

DepEd previously said that it is still studying proposals to shift to the old academic calendar where the start of classes are scheduled every June. In the old school calendar, summer breaks ran from April to May.

A survey of around 11,000 teachers conducted in the last week of March found that at least 67% of public school teachers experienced "intolerable" heat inside the classroom, distracting students and affecting their attendance. 

Warm classroom environments and discomfort felt by students and teachers during the dry season prompted teacher groups like the Teacher’s Dignity Coalition and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers to call for a return to the old school calendar.

DepEd in July rolled out a first-of-its kind learning recovery program that targeted Grade 7 and 8 students struggling in the subjects English, Science and Mathematics. 

The learning camp, which DepEd said was not mandatory for students nor teachers, aimed to arrest the learning losses observed among students who fail to meet minimum proficiency in the core classes.