With the current school year almost over, the Department of Education (DepEd) has started planning for the opening of classes in June. Although school has not yet officially closed for 2016-2017, the DepEd issued a March 17 memorandum for the launch of its 2017 Oplan Balik Eskwela (back-to-school) and the setup of public assistance stations for school year 2017-2018. In her memorandum, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that the annual campaign would run from May 29 to June 16 “to ensure the smooth opening of classes.”ADVERTISEMENTShe explained that Oplan Balik Eskwela and the public assistance stations “primarily aim to address the problems commonly encountered at the start of the school year to ensure that learners are already properly enrolled and able to attend school by the first day of classes.”

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 23, 2017 21:45 UTC