DepEd Policy on Educational Field Trips: DO 56 s. 2001, DO 51 s. 2002, DO 52 s. 2003

This page brings together three Department of Education (DepEd) orders on educational field trips for public and private elementary and secondary schools: DepEd Order No. 56, s. 2001, DepEd Order No. 51, s. 2002, and DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2003. Together they set rules on parental consent, safety, places to visit, costs, and fair treatment of learners who cannot join a trip.

Important: A later DepEd issuance repealed these orders, along with other related issuances. For the current rules, read the updated DepEd guidelines on the conduct of off-campus activities. The older orders are kept here for reference.

On this page 6 sections

Key points

• Field trips are allowed. DepEd said it never issued a circular banning educational field trips in public schools.
• Parents must give written consent. No field trip should happen without the written consent of parents or guardians.
• Go to educational places. Trips should visit cultural, historical, or scientific sites that support classroom lessons. Trips to malls and noontime TV shows, especially during class hours, are discouraged.
• Do not penalize learners who cannot join. Teachers should avoid tests based on the trip. If tests are given, learners who did not go get substitute tests, assignments, or school activities instead.
• Keep costs low. Trips should not add a financial burden on parents. Schools are encouraged to seek help from local government units, civic organizations, PTCAs, and sponsors, and to arrange group or student discounts.
• Put safety first. Teachers must stay with learners from assembly until they leave for home. Schools must choose the safest transport, follow passenger limits, and not allow riding on the roof or hanging on the boarding platform (“sabit”).
• Plan ahead. Learners should know what to look for on the trip, and safety measures should be discussed before leaving.

DepEd Order No. 56, s. 2001

Policy on Educational Field Trips (December 20, 2001)

Addressed to bureau directors, regional directors, schools division and city superintendents, and public elementary and secondary school principals. It was issued in response to questions about field trips in light of the policy of no collection of fees during enrolment.

1. DepEd has not issued any circular banning the holding of educational field trips by public schools.
2. Educational field trips can supplement classroom instruction, depending on the places visited. Examples of places of cultural, historical, and scientific interest include the National Museum, Museo Pambata, provincial and local museums, Science Centrum, Planetarium, zoological and botanical gardens, historical sites and shrines, and model manufacturing or technological firms or scientific sites.
3. Because field trips cost money that some poor families cannot afford, teachers should refrain from giving tests based on these trips. If tests are held, learners who could not join must not be penalized; they shall be given special tests or assignments as substitutes.
4. School heads are encouraged to tap external sources such as local government units, civic organizations, and PTCAs to help fund field trips, and to arrange group or student discounts to reduce the burden on learners.
5. Organizers must secure the consent of parents for their children to join, since the children are under the stewardship of the school.

DepEd Order No. 51, s. 2002

Policy on Educational Field Trips (Supplement to DepEd Order No. 56, s. 2001) (October 25, 2002)

Addressed to bureau and regional directors, schools division and city superintendents, district supervisors, and public and private elementary and secondary school principals. It was issued after a vehicular accident in Isabela that caused the death of several elementary schoolchildren on an educational field trip.

1. Written consent from parents of learners joining the trip should always be secured.
2. Teachers should always accompany the learners from the time they assemble until they leave for their homes. Parent volunteers should be encouraged to join to help look after the learners.
3. The principal or teacher organizing the trip should select the safest means of transportation. Vehicles should be loaded only up to their maximum passenger capacity. Learners must not ride on the roof or on the boarding platform (“sabit”).
4. Drivers should be told to drive with extreme care and must not drink alcohol for the entire duration of the trip.
5. If the trip includes swimming or another recreational activity or sport, teachers (or lifeguards, for swimming) should be stationed to watch over the learners.
6. As far as resources allow, principals or teachers should arrange optional accident insurance for the learners joining the trip.

DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2003

Policy on Educational Field Trips (Supplemental to DECS Order No. 56, s. 2001 and DepEd Order No. 51, s. 2002) (June 23, 2003)

Addressed to bureau directors, regional directors, schools division and city superintendents, district supervisors, and heads and principals of public and private elementary and secondary schools. Signed by Secretary Edilberto C. de Jesus.

1. These guidelines add to those in the two earlier orders:
   • No field trip should be undertaken without the written consent of parents or guardians.
   • Where a majority joins the trip, there should be no punitive measures or activities, such as tests related to the trip, that put learners who could not join at a disadvantage. They should be given activities in school instead.
   • The trip should be well planned ahead with the learners so they know exactly what to look for. Safety measures should be discussed before the trip.
   • Places to visit should be educational, such as cultural and historical sites or science exhibits in museums that complement or supplement classroom lessons.
   • Trips to malls and attendance at noontime TV shows, especially during class hours, are discouraged.
   • As much as possible, trips should not add a financial burden on parents. Sponsors or other sources can be tapped.
   • The other provisions of the previous DepEd orders on field trips still hold.
2. Immediate dissemination of and compliance with the order is directed.

Current status

A later DepEd issuance repealed DepEd Order Nos. 87 and 52, s. 2003, 5, s. 2002, and 56, s. 2001, and repealed, rescinded, or modified all related issuances and provisions inconsistent with it. Teachers and school heads planning a trip today should follow the updated guidelines on off-campus activities.

Frequently asked questions