ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers (ACT) party-list Rep. France Castro yesterday filed a bill seeking a return to the June to March school calendar, saying the current August to May school calendar has negative effects on the quality of education and the well-being of teachers and students.
“The August to May school calendar has proven to be detrimental to the education sector, with students and teachers struggling with prolonged and intensified exposure to heat during the summer months. This has resulted in decreased productivity, poor student performance, and even health problems,” Rep. France Castro said in House Bill No. 8550.
The bill covers all basic education institutions in the country, including foreign and international schools.
Under the bill, the school year will start on the first Monday of June but not later than the last day of August, with particular provision on opening School Year 2024-2025 in June to ensure the urgent return to the pre-pandemic calendar upon its passage.
The bill also stipulated mandates for an “early” close of School Year 2023-2024 on the fourth week of May 2024 and the grant of service credits, as well as, the guarantee of teachers’ remuneration for service rendered during their supposed vacation.
Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson earlier filed HB No. 8508, which seeks to establish the first Monday of June of every year as the start of the academic year to harmonize the opening of the academic year for all Philippine schools.
Public school teachers under ACT Philippines and ACT NCR Union joined Castro in filing the bill in light of the call of teachers, parents, and students to return to the old school year after enduring the grueling heat in the first in-classroom classes during the dry season for school year 2022-2023.
Castro said the current calendar also affects the country’s agriculture sector, as students are unable to participate in farming activities during the planting season.
She said the return to the June to March school calendar will not only improve the quality of education “but will also benefit our farmers by allowing students to participate in planting and harvesting activities during the appropriate season.”
The bill prioritizes the safety and well-being of teachers and students amid the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We need to ensure that the return to the previous school calendar will be implemented in a safe and effective manner, with strict adherence to health protocols and guidelines,” Castro said.
