SUMMER HEAT | Deeper study needed before reverting to old school calendar, says DepEd

March 30, 2023 , 12:17 PM

By Beatrice Puente

(March 30, 2023) – Reverting to the old school calendar will require a thorough review because of the various factors to be considered, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Wednesday.

DepEd spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa said they welcome suggestions to bring back the old school calendar to allow students to avoid the intense summer heat but he explained that they cannot implement this right away.

“There’s nothing unreasonable about the suggestion,” said Poa on One News’ The Big Story. “The problem is, we can’t just immediately switch and revert to the April-May break schedule because there are a lot of factors. For example, the minimum days of school that we need.”

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who heads the committee on basic education, said it’s about time to return to the old school calendar, which starts in June and ends in March, for students to have a summer break. However, he acknowledged that the shift cannot be implemented instantly due to the process that must be followed.

“Summer kasi, that’s the time students can go out, spend time with their families, as opposed to tag-ulan. Mas maganda na ibalik natin sa dating April-May ang summer vacation. It will take a bit of time kasi slow transition ‘yan,” said Gatchalian in an interview with reporters.

Last week, dozens of students from Gulod National High School-Mamatid Extension in Cabuyao, Laguna were sent to the hospital after taking part in an unannounced fire drill that exposed them to the extreme heat. Some children showed signs of difficulty breathing after the incident.

Poa earlier said they will closely coordinate with the school to monitor the condition of the hospitalized students. He added that the DepEd will review its policies on the conduct of all sorts of drills in the future.

A survey of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) showed that the harsh summer heat has already affected the attendance and learning of students. Of the 11,706 public school teachers surveyed, ACT said 67% found the classroom condition “intolerable” while only 32% said it was “bearable.”

“Ang hirap talaga ng kalagayan sa silid-aralan ngayong tag-init. Hindi mapalagay ang mga bata at hindi makapakinig sa leksyon, nagkukumpulan sila sa electric fan, laging nagpapaalam na pupunta sa canteen para uminom ng tubig, mga pawis na pawis at pagod na pagod,” said ACT chairperson Vladimer Quetua.

For now, Poa said school officials can suspend face-to-face classes if they deem necessary as long as other modes of learning will be followed. He noted that the 203 school days must still be met.

He reiterated that the DepEd’s curriculum and teaching strand will look into the suggestions of returning to the old school calendar.

“To be honest, since ngayon pa lang namin ipapaaral ito, I cannot give a precise timeline but obviously, the study has to be done sooner rather than later,” said Poa.

(PM)

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