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DepEd: Face-to-face ceremony still not allowed, virtual end-of-school-year rites an option
DepEd: Face-to-face ceremony still not allowed, virtual end-of-school-year rites an option
There will be no face-to-face ceremonies allowed during the conduct of end-of-school-year (EOSY) rites at the basic education level this school year but schools can hold virtual rites “whenever feasible,” the Department of Education (DepEd) said.
This will be the second time that there will be no in-person activities for students who have completed their respective grade levels since Philippine schools were shut down due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones, in a DepEd memo dated May 24, officially announced the conduct of End-of-School-Year (EOSY) Rites for Kindergarten, Grades 6, 10, and 12 learners who “satisfactorily met the curriculum requirements at the end of SY 2020-2021.”
The EOSY rites will also include SY 2019-2020 learners who passed the portfolio assessment in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Elementary and Junior High School levels and the first batch of ALS Senior High School learners who met the curriculum requirements.
With theme, “Kalidad ng Edukasyon Lalong Patatagin sa Gitna ng Pandemya” (Strengthening the Quality of Education Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic), the EOSY rites highlight that “amid all the challenges, the learners' rights to inclusive and quality education, and to safety from the health risks of COVID-19 must be given priority.”
The final or Quarter 4 for SY 2020-2021 will end on July 10 after the School Calendar for the current school year was amended.
“Hence, within the week of July 12 to 16, 2021, schools and Community Learning Centers (CLCs) are given the discretion to select the date for holding this year's EOSY Rites,” DepEd said. “On the other hand, private schools may implement the schedule as reflected in their respective School Calendars,” it added.
Given that public health and safety is “deemed as topmost concern at this time,” Briones reminded schools and CLCs to abide by “applicable guidelines and protocols” set by the Department of Health (DOH), Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), and the Office of the President in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Should the public health situation prevent the conduct of this year's EOSY rites within the said week, schools, in consultation with Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), may choose to reschedule or forego the activity,” Briones said in the memo.
Private schools, DepEd added, shall be “guided by their approved school calendars or revised school calendar.”
Briones noted that in order to ensure the protection of the health and safety of learners, teachers and personnel, as well as parents and other stakeholders, “any face-to-face ceremony is not allowed.” However, she said that “virtual conduct of the EOSY rites may be an option for schools and CLCs, whenever feasible.”
In this option, DepEd said that schools and CLCs may “prepare a short program that will run in less than two hours to consider the internet connectivity that will be consumed.” Moreover, only the completers, their parents or guardians, teachers and school administrators will be present during the virtual rites.
DepEd said that schools have the discretion to broadcast live the virtual EOSY rites through appropriate social media platforms but it must “secure the consent of the parents and learners before doing such broadcast.”
Meanwhile, DepEd noted that the Multi-Year Implementing Guidelines on the Conduct of the K to 12 Basic Education Program EOSY Rites “remains in force and in effect, except for the grant of academic awards, which shall be stipulated in a separate issuance on Awards and Recognition.”