Question & AnswerQ&A (DEPED ORDER NO. 20, S. 2002, MAY 31, 2002)
The main policy is to lessen non-teaching duties of teachers and unnecessary non-instructional activities in schools to maximize time for learning and meet the required number of school days and instructional time.
No, classes should not be suspended during celebrations of important historical events or significant occasions. Instead, discussions about their significance should be integrated into regular classroom lessons.
Support for national programs should be integrated into regular classroom discussions in relevant subjects, minimizing the holding of contests and other separate activities.
Such activities are allowed after class hours or during a designated period for student activities as determined by the School Head and under the guidance of the teacher adviser, if any.
These activities should be conducted during weekends or summer, not during regular school days.
They should be scheduled during summer except for monthly school-or-school cluster-based in-service training which should be held after class hours or during weekends.
Attendance should be limited to schools with a school paper.
Make-up classes should be held on weekends to meet the required number of school days if classes were suspended due to hosting national/regional activities, town fiestas, local holidays, or calamities like typhoons.
The Regional Office is tasked to initiate the preparation of the master plan to be issued for guidance at the field level.
To ensure that all education stakeholders are promptly informed and can implement the policy to maximize instructional time effectively.