School Year 2017-2018 K to 12 Basic Education Program End of School Year Rites

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

1. For School Year (SY) 2017-2018, the Department of Education (DepEd) announces the conduct of the following End of School Year Rites:

Grade Level Completers	Ceremony	Proof of Completion
Kindergarten	Moving Up or Completion	Kindergarten Certificate (Enclosure No. 1)
Grade 6	Graduation	Elementary Certificate (Enclosure No. 2)
Grade 10	Moving Up or Completion	Junior High School Certificate (Enclosure No. 3)
Grade 12 learners from Schools with DepEd-approved K to 12 transition plan Schools with permit to operate Senior High School since 2014 International schools with K to 12 Program	Graduation	Senior High School Diploma (Enclosure No. 4)

2. ​The 2018 ceremonies shall focus on the theme Mag-aaral ng K to 12: Handa sa Hamon ng Buhay (K to 12 Learners: Ready to Face Life’s Challenges). Schools, divisions, or regions may translate the theme in Mother Tongue. This theme highlights the role of K to 12 Basic Education Program in harnessing the skills and competencies of the Filipino learners to face life’s challenges.

3. As announced in Enclosure No. 1 of DepEd Order (DO) No. 25, s. 2017 entitled School Calendar for School Year 2017-2018, the end of school year rites should be scheduled not earlier than April 2, 2018 but not later than April 6, 2018. Schools, divisions, or regions with an extended school year will have to be guided by their approved revised school calendar.

4. All Grade 12 learners are required to take the Basic Education Exit Assessment (BEEA) which will be conducted before April 6, 2018. Details of the examination will be issued on a separate memorandum.

5. In line with the government’s austerity program, DepEd reiterates the following policies:

  a. Graduation rites should be simple but meaningful which encourage civil rights, a sense of community, and personal responsibility. While these rites mark a milestone in the life of the learners, these should be conducted without excessive spending, extravagant attire, or extraordinary venue;

  b. Moving Up or Closing Ceremonies should be simple involving only the learners, their parents and the school; and

  c.  Non-academic projects such as attendance to field trips, film showing, junior-senior promenade, and other school events should not be imposed as requirements for graduation or completion.

For Public Schools only

  a. Expenses relative to the activity should be charged to the school’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses under the 2018 Budget;

  b. Any DepEd personnel should not be allowed to collect any graduation/moving up/closing ceremony fees or any kind of contribution; and

  c. Contribution for the annual yearbook, if any, should be on a voluntary basis.

6. Use of enclosed completion certificate and diploma templates:

For private elementary and secondary schools, technical and vocational institutions (TVIs), and higher education institutions (HEIs) including state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs)	The use of the enclosed completion certificate and diploma templates is optional.  The signature of the school head is required, while the signature of the schools division superintendent is not required.
For public elementary and secondary schools	The use of the enclosed completion certificate and diploma templates is required.

7. Awarding of honors to learners from Grades 1 to 12 shall follow the guidelines stipulated in DO 36, s. 2016 entitled Policy Guidelines on Awards and Recognition for K to 12 Basic Education Program.

8. Further, the end of school year rites and moving up or closing ceremony should be conducted in an appropriate solemn ceremony befitting the learners and their parents, and shall not be used as a political forum.

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

(Sgd) LEONOR MAGTOLIS BRIONES

                              Secretary

Encls.: As stated
References: DepEd Order: Nos. 8 and 25, s. 2017, and 36, s. 2016
To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:

BASIC EDUCATION
CERTIFICATE
DIPLOMA
GRADUATION
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
KINDERGARTEN EDUCATION
LEARNERS
POLICY
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Some offices/personnel of DepEd are excluded and will not receive 2016 PBB" says DBM

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is accelerating the evaluation and processing of pertinent documents to ensure that the FY 2016 Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) will be released at the soonest possible time. The release of the FY 2016 PBB has encountered several delays owing to late or incomplete submission of requirements for the compliance validation process conducted by the oversight agencies concerned to determine an agency’s eligibility for the grant of the PBB.

The final validation by the Administrative Order (AO) No. 25 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on whether or not the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH) are eligible for the PBB was only received by the DBM on January 17, 2018.

Processing of the FY 2016 PBB of the DepEd

         

The DepEd submitted its FY 2016 Accomplishment Report to the AO No. 25 Secretariat on April 18, 2017. Upon review by the different validating agencies of its compliance with various PBB requirements, the DepEd was informed, through a letter of the AO No. 25 Secretariat dated May 18, 2017, of the need to provide justifications for the non-achievement of some of its targets in FY 2016. Accordingly, on December 22 and 28, 2017, the DepEd sent its justifications for the purpose to the AO No. 25 IATF for its evaluation. On January 17, 2018, the DepEd was declared eligible for the grant of the FY 2016 PBB.

          However, although the DepEd is eligible on the grant of the FY 2016 PBB, the following offices/ personnel of the Department will be excluded from the FY 2016 PBB ranking:

●                The unit/s including the highest ranking official, from the 25 DepEd Schools Division Offices (SDOs) / Schools most responsible for the agency’s non-accomplishment of the posting requirements in the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS); and

●                DepEd Bureaus/Offices with low utilization rate that affected the non-attainment of the Department’s Budget Utilization Report-General Administration and Support Services Target.

          The DBM has also noted discrepancies in the DepEd’s ranking of delivery units, and has thereby requested the DepEd to reconcile the same at the soonest possible time.

          To date, the DBM Central Office Bureau concerned has endorsed the following DepEd ROs to the DBM ROs for the processing and issuance of the necessary fund release documents for the FY 2016 PBB:

●           14 SDOs with 1,414 eligible employees under DepEd RO No. I;

●           20 SDOs with 2,052 eligible employees under DepEd RO No. III;

●           77,438 eligible employees from the different elementary and secondary schools under the jurisdiction of the DepEd RO No. III;

●           19 SDOs with 1,938 eligible employees under DepEd RO No. IV-A;

●           86,305 eligible employees from the different elementary and secondary schools under the jurisdiction of the DepEd RO No. IV-A;

●           13 SDOs with 1826 eligible employees under DepEd RO No. V; and

●           56,826 eligible employees from the different elementary and secondary schools under the jurisdiction of the DepEd RO No. V.

          The DBM ROs concerned are in the process of preparing the corresponding Special Allotment Release Order (SARO)/Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA), in coordination with the DepEd.

          As regards the ranking of the delivery units of the other offices of the DepEd in its Central Office, ROs and SDOs, the same are yet to be submitted by the DepEd to the AO No. 25 IATF and the DBM.

Given so, the AO No. 25 IATF is working closely with the DepEd to hasten the preparation and finalization of the necessary documents for the FY 2016 PBB for the benefit of its qualified officials and employees.

Processing of the FY 2016 PBB of the DOH

          The DOH submitted its FY 2016 Accomplishment Report to the DBM in November 2017. On December 17, 2017, the DOH submitted its justifications for the late submission of the Budget and Financial Accountability Reports (BFARs). However, on January 4, 2018, the DBM considered the late submission, based on the justifications provided by the DOH-OSEC, as due to factors controllable by the DOH.

          In addition, the PhilGEPS Office indicated in its report on March 31, 2017 that 14 offices of the DOH (i.e. 6 Regional Offices, 1 Technical Unit, 1 Level I Hospital, 2 Level II Hospitals, 3 Level III Hospitals, and 1 Special Hospital) are non-compliant with their respective PhilGEPS posting requirement.

          In this regard, while the DOH is eligible for the grant of the FY 2016 PBB, the DOH units that are non-compliant with PhilGEPS, as well as those responsible for the delays in the procurement and failed biddings and delays in the submission of the BFARs to the DBM will not be included in the grant of the FY 2016 PBB.

          It may be highlighted that the DBM has already completed the evaluation of the DOH submitted documents necessary for the grant of FY 2016 PBB and is now in the process of preparing the necessary SARO/NCA for the payment of the FY 2016 PBB of the qualified officials and employees of the DOH.

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