New school year starts Aug. 22 regardless of COVID alert level��

THE DEPARTMENT of Education on Tuesday announced that the next school year will start August 22 and end on July 7 next year, rejecting an appeal by some stakeholders to delay the opening of classes for at least two weeks to give teachers more time to rest and prepare.����

The school reopening will push through “regardless of the COVID-l9 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,” according to the guidelines of the DepEd order.����

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition earlier asked Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio to move the school year’s start to mid-September or the first week of October.����

The group said teachers still performed tasks even during the break. “We need to read forms and prepare documents for performance rating,” it said. “And in the coming weeks until August, teachers should attend in-service training, Brigada Eskwela, and other back-to-school and enrollment activities.”����

Under the guidelines, blended learning or even full distance schooling will be allowed only until Oct. 31.������

By Nov. 2, “all public and private schools shall have transitioned to 5 days of in-person classes,” DepEd said, except those duly accredited for the Alternative Delivery Modes. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza