Public school students are not required to wear uniforms to school for the incoming school year 2022-2023, which opens in August 2022, the Department of Education said Monday.
Citing a 2010 department order, Vice President Sara Duterte, who heads the department, reiterated that "it is not a strict requirement for public schools to wear uniforms to avoid incurring additional costs to the families of our learners."
"All the more that it will not be required this school year given the increasing prices and economic losses due to the pandemic," she told reporters.
DepEd recently announced that after a period of transition wherein schools are given the option to either implement 5 days of in-person classes, blended learning, or full distance learning, it expects all public and private schools to fully return to in-person classes by Nov. 2.
Beyond said date, no school shall be allowed to implement purely distance learning or blended learning except for institutions whose nature of instruction fall under DepEd's alternative modes of learning, it said earlier.
Vaccination is not mandatory, said Duterte
DepEd Secretary Duterte acknowledges that we are still in the midst of a pandemic, but that we are wiser now as a nation. "Mas natuto na tayo," she tells the media.
She states that Filipinos are now more open and willing to wear masks while the availability of the vaccine and medicine against COVID-19 serves as safety measures in the pandemic. The DepEd also presented studies that most children that contract the virus have high recovery rates and mild symptoms.
RELATED: No talking during mealtimes and other COVID-19 guidelines from DepEd
"Ang panawagan namin doon sa mga pamilya na meron pong high-risk na mga individuals sa loob ng bahay nila na magpa-bakuna po sila at magpa-booster na po dahil meron silang exposure and interaction sa mga bata na papasok sa paaralan," Duterte urged.
Duterte refused to comment on a query about mandatory vaccination.
"There should be no segregation and discrimination for the unvaccinated learners dahil hindi naman mandatory ang vaccination program natin. We don't see any problem with co-mingling sa loob ng mga eskwelehan dahil pag labas naman nila nagco-comingling ang lahat ng vaccinated at unvaccinated natin sa mga bahay, sa mga malls, sa mga simbahan, sa public transportation," she pointed out.
The Education secretary could not stress enough how essential it is to return to face-to-face classes. "There are truthfully learning losses sa mga bata kapag sila po ay nasa online classes," she said.
This story originally appeared on reportr.world. Minor edits have been made by the Smartparenting.com.ph editors.
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