DEPED ORDER NO. 26, S. 2002, June 18, 2002
ENJOINING COMPLIANCE TO DECS ORDER NO. 120, S. 1999 (AMENDING CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF DECS ORDER NO. 13, S. 1998)
1. Declaration
of Policy — The State shall, in conformity with the mandate of the
Constitution, encourage and promote the teaching of religion to children
in public elementary and high schools within the regular class hours. The
State is cognizant of the vital role that the teaching of religion
assumes in citizen formation, particularly the molding of our youth. Hence, the State recognizes the necessity of religious instruction not only in the private schools but also in public schools. For
these purposes, the Department hereby provides the mechanics to enable
the teaching of religion in all public elementary and high schools in
the country, fully aware that the Constitution prohibits the government
from favoring a particular establishment or religion or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof. Furthermore, the implementation of this Order should not entail additional cost to the government.
2. Coverage — This Order shall apply to all public elementary and high schools in the Philippines.
3. Definition of Terms — As used in this Order, the following terms shall mean:
a. Religion — an institutionalized system of beliefs, attitudes and practices.
b. Values
Education — the integration into the school curriculum of universally
accepted as well as Filipino human, social, moral, political, economic
and cultural values.
c. Optional
religious instruction — refers to the religion classes conducted in the
public elementary and high schools for students or pupils whose parents
opted to exercise their right to request religious instruction in
public schools for their children or wards. The
optional character of religious instruction in public schools is a
prerogative or choice of the parents or guardians, who are free to
request or not to request that the children under their care be
instructed in the religion of their choice.
d. Regular class hours — refers to the regular or normal scheduled periods of instruction or laboratory work for a student.
e. Class period — the average length of time scheduled for one session or instructional period in a course.
4. The Teachers/Instructors
— The religious teachers/instructors who teach religion classes in the
public elementary and high schools shall be formally sourced or
recruited by the respective principal or school head in accordance with
the corresponding request for optional religious instruction. After
their designation or nomination by their respective religious
authorities, said teachers/instructors shall submit to the principal or
school head their proper authorization papers and request for time
allocation and schedule for the optional religious instruction. Ordinary
teachers teaching in a particular school may also teach religion in the
same or another school during the periods when they are free from their
ordinary teaching loads, and provided they are authorized to do so by
the competent religious authority of their denomination.
5. Recipient
of Religious Instruction — The teachers/instructors of religion as
referred to in Paragraph 4 shall be allowed to teach those
pupils/students whose parents or guardians have opted to request that
their children or wards be taught the religion of their choice. The
option to request that their children or wards learn religion in school
shall be expressed in writing by the parent or guardian who shall
likewise accomplish in full the necessary application form. No
student/pupil shall be allowed to attend religious instruction classes
without the said written application and duly accomplished request of
his/her parent or guardian.
6. The Application
— The application referred to in the preceding paragraph, shall clearly
indicate the faith or religious instruction the student/pupil should
receive from the authorized religion teachers/instructors, and the
preferred schedule for religious instruction.
7. Non-Recipient of Religious Instruction
— Students not receiving religious instruction or those with request
but without available teachers/instructors for the particular
denomination requested should be under the supervision of their
respective class advisers during the time religion classes are going on.
8. Size and Scheduling of Religious Classes — The
optional religious instruction shall be taught during regular class
hours only and not before or after class time, nor during recess time. Religious
classes should not number more than forty students of the same level
and of the same religion, except where the religious authority certifies
that his teacher/instructor can allow for a bigger number due to its
practicality, availability of time slot/schedule, instructors/teachers,
classroom materials and related matters.
The principal or school head shall
fix the schedule of the religion class hours taking into account the
number of the religion teachers/instructors that can be fielded by the
different denominations at one time.
9. Duration of Religion Classes — The
optional religious instruction shall be allotted at least ninety
minutes a week, spread over at least two (2) but not more than three (3)
meetings in one week. In no case shall the class periods be allotted less than ninety (90) minutes per week.
10. Optional Religious Instruction and Values Education — The optional religious instruction and values education of this Department are separate, different and distinct subjects. As such, religious instruction shall be allotted separate class hours. Available time slot for religious instruction should be arranged with the principal.
11. Administrative Sanctions — Any
principal, school head, or teacher who violates any provision of this
Order shall, after due process, be subjected to appropriate disciplinary
sanctions.
12. Immediate and wide dissemination of the contents of this Order is directed.
Adopted: 18 June 2002
(SGD.) RAUL S. ROCO
Secretary