THE DEPARTMENT of Education clarified on Friday that the proposed August 23 date for the opening of classes is not yet final.

It said that the President will have the final say on the opening of School Year 2021-2022.

“We will be proposing various options for the President’s consideration. The August 23 start date proposal is only one of the options since DepEd is mandated to open the school year not later than the last day of August under the same law unless the President intervenes,” the department said in a statement.

It added that policy consultations are being conducted with concerned stakeholders to determine the most appropriate course of action on the matter.

The official guidelines for School Year 2021-2022 will be issued soon, the agency said.