(Eagle News) – The next school year will formally start on August 22, 2022 and end on July 7, 2023 to complete the 203 school days for school year (SY) 2022 to 2023, the Department of Education said.
In Department Order No. 34 series of 2022, the DepEd said that it issued the school calendar and activities for SY 2022-2023 “in accordance with its commitment to the resumption of 5 days in-person classes despite the health crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Schools will slowly transition to full face-to-face learning from August to November.
But the DepEd order signed by Vice-President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte said that by November 2, “all public and private schools” shall have transitioned into five days of in-person classes.
“After the said date, no school shall be allowed to implement purely distance learning or blended learning except for those that are implementing Alternative Delivery Modes,” the department order dated July 11, 2022 said.
-Blended learning options only until Oct. 31, 2022-
Before this, schools can implement a “blended learning modality” which initially can be three days of in-person classes and two days of distance learning.
After this, it can be four days of in-person classes and one day of distance learning.
But Duterte said that these options “shall only be implemented by schools until October 31, 2022.”
“Starting November 2, 2022, all public and private schools shall have transitioned to 5 days in-person classes,” she said in the order.
-Mandatory face mask or face shield in schools-
According to the DepEd, “face masks shall be mandatory in the re-opening of classes.”
“A face shield may be used in lieu of a face mask for activities requiring the entire face of an individual to be visible,” it said.
Physical distancing shall also be observed “whenever possible.”
“Classroom doors and windows shall be opened for ventilation,” it said.
“Students, teaching and non-teaching personnel are strictly prohibited from eating together while facing one another. If there is a lack of space in the classroom or school premises to allow distancing during meals, eating shall be done in a manner where all individuals face in one direction and do not talk while their masks are off,” DepEd added.
Duterte said that this DepEd order “shall apply regardless of the COVID-19 alert level imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases or the Department of Health in areas where schools are located.”
-Enrollment to start on July 25-
The enrollment for next school year will start from July 25, 2022 to August 22, 2022.
The Brigada Eskwela will be held from August 1 to 26, 2022, while the Oplan Balik Eskwela will be held on August 15, 2022.
The school calendar also indicated that the year-end break would start on December 19, 2022, Monday, and end on January 3, 2023. Classes will resume on January 4, 2023.
To view the full DepEd Order No. 34 on the school calendar for SY 2022-2023, click this link: https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/DO_s2022_034.pdf
(Eagle News Service)