Private schools can continue classes ahead of Oct. 5: DepEd

Private schools that have started classes or set a different academic calendar ahead of the new Oct. 5 class opening may proceed, the Department of Education (DepEd) said Saturday.

The clarification comes after DepEd announced that it is moving the opening of classes to Oct. 5 instead of Aug. 24 as more time is needed to prepare for the shift to blended learning.

READ: DepEd moves opening of classes to October 5

Private elementary and secondary schools may proceed with an academic calendar ahead of the government’s for as long as they stick to distance learning modalities, DepEd said.

“DepEd hereby clarifies that such private or non-DepEd schools that have already started their classes, or are scheduled to start classes on August 24 or on other dates ahead of October 5, are allowed to proceed provided they are strictly using only distance learning modalities and that there are no face-to-face classes,” the education department said in an advisory.

Colleges and universities however are not covered by the DepEd order.

Private schools that will start their classes earlier are required to submit their academic calendars, and documents supporting their readiness to DepEd.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Friday said the delay in the opening of classes to October was prompted by the reversion of Metro Manila and nearby provinces to the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine, which, she claimed, affected preparations for blended learning.