REPUBLIC Act (RA) 11480, a law that gives President Duterte the authority to postpone the opening of classes beyond August, has been enacted. With the school opening for public schools set for Aug. 24, 2020 and with many private schools having already started the school year, this law elicited many questions from parents, students, school administrators and teachers. In fact, there is a group of public school teachers who are calling for the deferment of school opening until the Department of Education is “ready.” Then, there are some calling for an “academic freeze” this year.
This set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) helps to ease the uncertainties and speculations about RA 11480. Reading the law and having been able to follow its deliberations at the House of Representatives and the Senate, here are my answers to the FAQs for the education community: