DepEd sets start of SY 2024-2025 on July 29 in 'gradual' revert to old calendar

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education has scheduled the start of classes for the school year 2024-2025 on July 29 and set an earlier end to the current school year as part of its gradual revert to the old academic calendar.

DepEd Order No. 003 s. 2024, dated February 19, sets the start and end of classes for SY 2024-2025 on July 29, 2024 and May 16, 2025.

The DepEd order also pushes back the end of classes for the current school year (SY 2023-2024) by two weeks, scheduling it on May 31 instead of June 14. 

This directive from the department follows its earlier confirmation that the return to the old June-March academic calendar will be "gradual" or implemented in phases to avoid major disruptions to students' and education personnel’s vacation days.

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The DepEd order scheduled this year’s school break from June 1 to July 26.

End-of-school-year rites will be conducted from May 29 to 31, and only schools with exceptional circumstances can hold these on June 1 upon consultations with teachers and students.

DepEd Spokesperson and Undersecretary Michael Poa told reporters on Tuesday that the gradual shift to the old academic calendar aims to have a June school opening by School Year 2026-2027 to align more closely with the traditional April-May school break.

DepEd's revert to the old school calendar comes after it held consultations with parents, teachers and other education groups where they indicated a preference for a June school opening to avoid holding classes during the dry season from April to May.

Poa added that only around seven to eight days were trimmed after adjustments to the current school calendar.

Private schools will also be given flexibility in following DepEd's adjusted calendar, but they are bound by laws that do not allow them to open before the first Monday of June or later than the last day of August, Poa added.

DepEd has also shortened the timeframe for this year’s implementation of the National Learning Camp from five weeks to three weeks or from July 1 to 19. 

This year's Brigada Eskwela will be held from July 22 to July 27.

For years, DepEd refused to synchronize its calendar with the new academic calendar in higher education, which the Commission on Higher Education recommended for state universities in 2019 to cover the same period as the government’s fiscal year.

However, DepEd had to delay its class opening in 2020 from June to October when it transitioned to blended learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it has scheduled class openings in August.