The Department of Education (DepEd) announced on Monday that students will not be required to wear school uniforms in the coming school year.

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte said this is to ease the financial burden on families of learners.

She said wearing school uniforms is not even required during the pre-pandemic period, pertaining to DepEd Order (DO) No. 065, s. 2010.

“The wearing of a school uniform shall not be required in public schools. Students with existing uniforms may continue using these uniforms, if they so desire, to avoid incurring additional costs for new attire,” the DO read.

Duterte insisted that the DepEd will be more considerate of this as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic as well as inflationary pressures.

“Even before the pandemic, it was not a strict requirement for public schools to wear uniforms to avoid incurring additional costs to the families of our learners. All the more that it will not be required this School Year given the increasing prices and economic losses due to the pandemic,” she said.

Classes for SY 2022-2023 will officially begin on Aug. 22, 2022 and end on July 7, 2023. DepEd, after over two years of implementing distance learning, will now push for the implementation of full in-person classes beginning Nov. 2, 2022.

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