Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 23) — Various education stakeholders expressed their support to revert to the old school calendar of June to March as the Department of Education (DepEd) awaits the results of a study on the matter.
During a hearing of the Senate Committee on Basic Education on Wednesday, the Philippine Association of Schools Superintendents (PASS) said they can better endure rains than the summer heat.
“Mas nahihirapan kami sa pagtuturo at mas walang focus ang mag-aaral dahil sa init ng panahon,” Quezon Province Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Rommel Bautista told the hearing.
[Translation: We find it more difficult to teach and students are less focused because of the heat.]
Class disruptions at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the DepEd to move school opening from June to October in 2020.
The agency eventually set the opening of the academic school years to August.
Several measures have been filed in Congress to revert to the old school calendar, citing the struggle of holding classes during the dry season.
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Aside from the discomfort caused by the heat, a parent-teachers group also pointed out more serious health concerns that students and teachers have to deal with.
National Parent-Teacher Association (NPTA) board member Aileen Marquez said a class in her school had to deal with a chickenpox outbreak.
“According to the doctors, kailangan 14 days iyon, tapos another 14 days para ipahinga ang bata and hindi makahawa. Eh ang mga magulang pinapasok pa rin, kaya nagkahawa-hawa halos naubos po yung buong Grade 3 sa kabilang section,” she said.
[Translation: According to the doctor, it lasts for 14 days, plus another 14 days so the children can rest and not be contagious. But parents made them come to school so the illness was passed on and infected almost an entire section of Grade 3 pupils.]
Meantime, the national weather bureau shared their findings on the pros and cons of the new academic calendar.
The main advantage is a decrease in school days with extreme rainfall. However, the weather bureau noted that there are more school days with extremely hot temperatures, while graduation day ceremonies coincide with the rainy season.
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The DepEd is still waiting for the results of a study being conducted by a third-party organization on the best option for schools.
“The question is, are we reverting back to June really? ,” DepEd Asec. Francis Bringas said.
