DepEd lifts ban on field trips

MANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Leonor Briones has lifted the moratorium on field trips in public schools following the issuance of new guidelines on the conduct of off-campus activities in the basic education sector.

Briones issued last week the department order that establishes a new set of guidelines for the implementation of co-curricular and extra-curricular off-campus activities for public and private schools.

The guidelines cover educational field trips as well as other off-campus activities that involve learner engagements aligned with the K-12 curriculum.

The new order emerged from the months-long review of the guidelines on the conduct of field trips that was prompted by a deadly bus crash involving students last February in Tanay, Rizal.

Both the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) suspended the conduct of off-campus activities following the accident that killed 15 people, mostly college students, en route to a camping activity.

In the new guidelines, the DepEd said all off-campus activities should ensure relevance and alignment with the educational competencies of the K-12 curriculum and the leadership development of learners.

It should also uphold child protection principles and observe the safety and security protocols for all participants before, during and after the event.

Participation in such activities should be voluntary and those who will not participate shall not be required to submit special projects or take any additional examination.

“Under no circumstances shall off-campus activities place undue financial burden on the learners and their families,” the order read.

“Teachers shall not charge their expenses to learners,” it added.

Travel insurance has also become mandatory for all participants of the off-campus activities.

The guidelines also detail various actions that school officials should follow before, during and after the off-campus activities to ensure the safety of the participants.

The CHED earlier issued its separate guidelines on the conduct of out-of-school activities for higher education institutions.