By Brian Jules Campued
“It will be better for the kids,” said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday as he stressed the urgent need in reverting back to the June-March school calendar by next year.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations Day in Pasay City, President Marcos said the shift to the old school calendar was really needed to avoid cancellation of classes due to extreme heat brought by El Niño.
“Well, of course, hiningi ko ‘yan sa DepEd (Department of Education) and asked Inday Sara to give me already a concrete plan because mukha naman hindi na tayo kailangan maghintay pa. At mukha naman kailangan na at I don’t see any objections really from anyone,” Marcos said.
“So, talagang kailangan na kailangan na. So, yes. That’s part of the plan that we are trying to do to bring back already the old schedule,” he added.
Senate Basic Education Committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian welcomed the statement of the President since the suspension of face-to-face classes due to extreme heat has disrupted the continuity of education for learners.
“We also have to keep in mind that the extreme heat poses a threat to the health, safety, and well-being of our learners and teachers,” Gatchalian said in a statement Monday.
“By moving back the opening of classes to June, we can restore normalcy to the school calendar cycle, which the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in 2020,” he added.
The DepEd earlier said it had proposed ending the school year 2024-2025 in March 2025 amid mounting calls for the return to the April-May school break.
Under this proposal, the actual in-person classes would be decreased to 165 days, less than the minimum required 180 days for each school year.
Meanwhile, the DepEd called on public schools to hold their End-of-School-Year (EOSY) rites indoors or in well-ventilated areas away from the sun.
“To ensure the safety and protection of learners, teachers, and attendees, schools are advised to hold their EOSY Rites in indoor venues with proper ventilation or covered courts to avoid exposure to the extreme heat of the sun,” according to the DepEd Memorandum No. 23 s. 2024 released on May 2.
“Schools shall avoid scheduling their EOSY Rites during the time of the day when temperatures are at the highest,” it added.
The EOSY activities are set to be conducted on May 29 to 31, 2024. – avds
