ILOILO – To protect students, parents and teachers from possibly getting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Schools Division of Iloilo ordered schools in the province to forego graduation and recognition ceremonies for school year 2019-2020.
The order covers public and private schools from Kindergarten to Senior High School, according to Leonil Salvilla, information officer of the Schools Division of Iloilo.
There are over 1,100 public schools and more than 100 private schools in this province, said Salvilla.
Instead of releasing certificates of completion/diplomas in commencement exercises, these would instead be distributed on the last week of classes in the classrooms “involving the learners, class adviser and the school principal only,” according to Salvilla.
No need to spend on gaudy clothes, learners should just wear their school uniforms, Salvilla stressed.
The releasing of certificates must be done per class/section only.
The Schools Division of Iloilo’s foregoing the graduation rites is in compliance, too, with Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.’s Executive Order No. 028-B suspending the holding of public events involving a large number of attendees for a period of 45 days as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.
Private schools that wish to have their end-of-school-year rites after the 45-day period may do so taking into consideration the applicable guidelines from the Department of Health in relation to COVID-19.
“All learners shall report to school until March 20 only to take the exams and finish other school requirements. Any further school requirements should be home-based assignments,” according to Salvilla.
Schools are prohibited from imposing “financial clearances” for learners to graduate, Salvilla added.
As to teachers, Salvilla said they shall report to school “until the last school day” observing applicable COVID-19 precautions.
“Health is Wealth. Health is everybody’s concern. So we are calling on all school stakeholders to support the measure and to cooperate with the authorities for the good of all,” stressed Salvilla.
Before coming up with the decision to forego graduation programs, Iloilo Schools Division superintendent Dr. Roel Bermejo consulted stakeholders such as district supervisors, parents and school principals, among others.
“We are also suspending other school activities nga naga-involve sang pagtipon or gathering sang teachers, learners and parents and iban pa gid nga stakeholders within 45 days,” said Salvilla.
Examples of these activities are Family Day, Foundation Day, alumni homecoming, graduation ball or party, recollection/retreat, symposia, outreach activities, culminating activities, seminars/conferences/trainings, honorary programs, and off-campus activities.
DepEd previously issued Department Order No. 7 (Series of 2019) setting the graduation period for school year 2019-2020 between March 30 to April 3 then moved it to April 13-17.
Just this March 12, however, DepEd released Department Order No. 2 (Series of 2020) stating: “Each school shall have the discretion to elect the date for the graduation within the week of April 13 to 17, 2020. Should the public health situation prevent the holding of this year’s rites within the said week, the schools, in consultation with the PTA (Parents-Teachers Association) leadership, may choose to reschedule or forego the holding of the rites.”/PN
