MANILA – The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a measure that ould give President Rodrigo Duterte the authority to adjust the opening of classes beyond August, 2020.
House Bill 6895, which amends Section 3 of Republic Act No. 7791, or the “Act to Lengthen the School Calendar from 200 Days to Not More Than 220 Class Days,” was unanimously approved on Thursday in 241-0 voting.
Under the measure, President Duterte can set a different date for the start of the school year in the event of a declaration of a state of emergency or state of calamity, and that the deferment of the start of the school year in such instances shall apply to “all basic education schools, including foreign or international schools.”
In the existing law, the start of classes should be between the first Monday of June and the last day of August.
Department of Education secretary Leonor Briones has earlier said that they plan to open school year 2020-2021 on August 24 regardless if its face-to-face learning or online class.
But President Duterte was quick to reject the plan as he refused to allow classes to resume unless a vaccine against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is developed.
The government canceled all classes when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, which was placed under lockdown for nearly three months. Quarantine measures have since been eased starting June 1, but schools are still prohibited from physically opening./PN
