August 24 will be the official commencement of the school year 2020-2021 in the Philippines, says education secretary.
The start of the school year 2020-2021
Department of Education (DepEd) secretary, Leonor Briones, in a live conference that the department is all set for the reopening of classes for the school year 2020-2021 this August 24. In line with this, Briones unveiled the “School Calendar and Activities for School Year 2020-2021,” as DepEd Order no. 007 series of 2020.
Briones is firm with her stand that education must resume amid the COVID-19 threat. The opening of schools will help normalize the lives of the people, especially after how many months of staying at home and being stagnant.
August is still three months from now, Briones believes this is just enough time for them to prepare the teachers and the facilities needed to welcome back students to school.
DepEd decided to open classes by August 24 is backed with the approval from the Inter-Agency Task Force handling the COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines.
There will be assessments to be made on all regions as the opening date comes closer, this will determine if physical classes are possible or stick with distance learning.
The opening week of class
Everyone has undergone mental stress during the COVID-19 crisis, Briones has suggested for the opening week of classes be spent for psychosocial counseling.
The program is listed in the Learning Continuity Program suggested by the DepEd to the IATF. Mental health is a cause of concern especially in a crisis such as COVID-19. Both teachers and students will undergo certain changes from the normal classroom scenario.
Briones pointed out that thee reopening of classes in August is not just a matter of keeping children and teachers physically healthy but also mentally.
As the reopening of classes draws near, more and more details about the contents of the Learning Continuity Program (LCP) will be divulged to the public.
