Classes for SY 2021-2022 to open on Sept. 13, 2021 —DepEd

Classes for School Year 2021-2022 will start on September 13, 2021, the Department of Education announced on Friday.

In a statement, the DepEd said President Rodrigo Duterte approved the date from the options recommended by Education Secretary Leonor Briones.

The department has also proposed the dates August 23, 2021 and September 6, 2021 for School Year 2021-2022.

"We thank the President for his full support to the delivery of quality basic education for the incoming school year," the DepEd said.

The school calendar for the upcoming school year will be released soon, it added.

Like in the previous school year, blended learning will be implemented for SY 2021-2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, Deped Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said while they are waiting for a separate approval for face-to-face classes, the department continues to prepare for it.

He also expressed confidence that the implementation of blended learning in the coming school year will improve since they already made adjustments on some concerns in the previous academic year.

“Mas mataas ang antas ng kahandaan natin ngayon [The level of preparation now is higher],” he said.

San Antonio said the DepEd is not expecting more transferees to public schools since private schools also made some improvements with their implementation of blended learning.

For private school students who struggled to pay fees last year, San Antonio said the government already offered assistance to them so they don’t have to transfer to public school.

The DepEd official also noted that the schedule of opening of class granted teachers a two-month vacation.  He encouraged parents to already register their children to school.

Asked if the implementation of blended learning last year had been successful, San Antonio said the department achieved its mission of ensuring learning continuity.

Since teachers passed many students, he said it showed that students learned in the previous school year.   —with Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News