DO 23, s. 2016: School Calendar for School Year 2016-2017

To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau and Service Directors
Regional Directors
Schools Division Superintendents
Public and Private Elementary and Secondary Schools Heads
All Others Concerned

The School Calendar for School Year (SY) 2016-2017 shows the school events and activities for the said SY. The core events and activities for this SY, which represent the actual teaching-learning days, shall be strictly observed in all schools.

The SY 2016-2017 shall begin on Monday, June 13, 2016 and shall end on Friday, April 7, 2017. The SY will consist of 202 school days, inclusive of the five-day In-Service Training (INSET) break. The different school events and other activities for learners, including the regular and special non-working holidays, are contained in Enclosure No. 1.

Private schools may deviate from this School Calendar. However, they may not start classes earlier than the first Monday of June and not later than the last day of August, as provided for in Republic Act No. 7797 entitled An Act to Lengthen the School Calendar from Two Hundred (200) Days to Not More than Two Hundred Twenty (220) Class Days. They should notify their respective regional offices (ROs) in advance regarding any deviation.

Specific guidelines are found in Enclosure 2 to enable the schools to effectively and efficiently conduct school events and activities, and to allow the ROs and schools division offices (SDOs) to provide support to the schools, especially in the areas of instruction, and progress monitoring and evaluation.

Activities and observances mandated by law can be found in Enclosure 3 while events and activities which pertain to DepEd personnel are listed in Enclosure 4. Schools may observe national and local celebrations/activities and holidays other than those indicated in Enclosure 3, provided that the total number of school days shall not be compromised.

Make-up classes can therefore be conducted to compensate for the school days spent for activities deemed beneficial to the teaching-learning process. Likewise, make-up classes are recommended in lieu of class cancellations due to occurrence of natural and man-made calamities. A mechanism for having make-up classes must be agreed upon by the school administrators and parents. In this regard, the RO may issue a regional school calendar to reflect their respective concerns.

Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

(Sgd.) BR. ARMIN A. LUISTRO FSC
Secretary