Despite the Department of Education’s (DepEd) recent announcement on the opening of school year 2020-2021 on August 24, Senate President Vicente Sotto III would continue to push for the bill seeking to grant special powers to President Rodrigo Duterte to move the schedule of opening of classes.
“Yes. Because my bill gives the President the power to adjust [the] school calendar unlike the previous law,” Sotto said.
Sotto filed Senate Bill No. 1438 which intends to amend Section 3 of the Republic Act No. 7977 or the Act on Lengthening of School Calendar.
The law states that the “school year shall start on the first Monday of June but not later than the last day of August.”
Sotto stated that his bill would also “give the Department of Education (DepEd) more time and opportunity to prepare and adopt measures for the new normal of the education system,” amidst the COVID-19 threat.
The bill was filed in support of the recommendation of the Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to adjust the opening of classes to September.
Meanwhile, Senator Joel Villanueva filed a similar bill granting the DepEd additional flexibility to adjust the schedule of the academic year opening “in case of a declaration of a state of emergency, state of calamity or similar occurrence.” (RJ Espartinez)