Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 24) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said government is studying the return to the old school calendar as the heat during the summer months becomes an obstacle to learning.
Reverting to the pre-pandemic schedule would mean summer vacation would begin in March, Marcos said, adding that a decision could be made soon.
“Ang palagay ko yung diskusyon na yan madedesisyunan very soon on what will be the, ano yung tama. Binabagay kasi natin talaga sa season, yun ang naging problema kung paano ibabalik o hindi dahil hindi na masabi kung kailan mag-uumpisa ang ulan, kung kailan magiging mainit,” Marcos said during an interview on Monday.
[Translation: I believe discussions on that will be decided on very soon. We are trying to make it suit the season — that’s the reason why there were problems in switching because we could not tell when the wet season would start or when it would get warmer.]
Marcos added, however, it would not be an easy decision to make.
“It’s not a simple as you would imagine na akala mo, ‘o, ilipat na natin wala na yung lockdown,’ nagbago pati yung weather, yun ay isa pa ring tinitignan natin na kelan…we have to adjust also accordingly,” he said.
[Translation: It’s not as simple as you would imagine, where you can say \”the lockdown is over and we can change it,\” the weather has also changed so we have to adjust accordingly.]
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Last month, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers NCR Union (ACT NCR Union) said the majority of teachers in Metro Manila have reported students are unable to focus on lessons due to the “intolerable heat in classrooms,” adding the heat triggered existing medical conditions of both students and teachers.
The group also said very few classrooms are equipped to handle the heat.
\”The April-May school break is what suits our country best as the hottest months of the year are not conducive to learning, especially with our inadequate, cramped and non-air conditioned classrooms,\” ACT said earlier this month.
The group added that these months are also the peak of the harvest season, which many learners participate in.
In the interview, Marcos also said he was considering the shift to the pre-pandemic schedule, but the COVID-19 situation must still be considered.
“Kung kailan gagawin yung actual na semester kung kailan mag-uumpisa ang bakasyon ay hindi pa nade-decide dahil meron pa rin tayong cases na nakikita ng COVID na umaakyat na naman. Yung replication rate ay umaakyat na naman — hindi naman malala dahil ang pinanggalingan ay kakaunti lang and we are better than most other countries,” he said.
[Translation: When the actual semester and vacation would begin is still not final as the number of COVID cases is rising. The replication rate is rising again, although it’s not as bad and we are better than most other countries.]
The Department of Education (DepEd) earlier said there were no plans to revert to the old school calendar.
