Classes in public elementary, high schools begin on June 3

Education Secretary Leonor Briones. (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Classes in all public elementary and high schools are set to officially start on June 3, Department of Education (DepEd) announced Wednesday.

“The School Year 2019-2020 shall formally open on Monday, 3 June 2019, and shall end on Friday, 3 April 2020 in all public elementary and secondary schools nationwide,” DepEd said.

The School Year 2019-2020 shall formally open on Monday, 3 June 2019 and shall end on Friday, 3 April 2020 in all public elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

For more information, read DepEd Order No. 7, s. 2019: https://t.co/pcakghdC0L pic.twitter.com/axbOyjDbsJ

— DepEd (@DepEd_PH) May 8, 2019

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in a memorandum that the new school year shall consist of 203 school days, inclusive of the five-day in-service training for teachers and the three-day parent-teacher conferences.

Briones said private schools may deviate from the DepEd’s school calendar, but they cannot start classes “earlier than the first Monday of June and not later than the last day of August.”

Schools that will digress from the schedule should notify their respective regional offices in advance, she said.

In line with DepEd’s K-12 goal for the holistic development of learners, Briones encouraged schools to organize non-classroom based activities for learners such as science fairs, showcase of portfolios, trade fairs, school sports, campus journalism, job fairs and career orientation.

Among the highlights of the 2019-2020 school calendar are Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) from May 27 to June 7 and deworming of school children from July 2019 to January 2020.

Meanwhile, the Christmas break is scheduled from December 15, 2019, to January 6, 2020. /jpv