APPARENTLY bowing to pressure, the Department of Education yesterday said it is ready to revert to the old school calendar by ending the school year 2024-2025 in March 2025.
DepEd assistant secretary Francis Bringas told the Senate Committee on Basic Education that they have submitted to President Marcos the recommendation “presenting other options, including a more aggressive alternative ending SY 2024-2025 in March” next year.
“We respectfully appeal to the committee to allow the President time to study the options carefully. DepEd commits to implement this decision accordingly,” Bringas said.
The clamor for the DepEd to revert to the old school calendar, with classes starting in June and ending in March the following year, has been made by several sectors to spare learners from the adverse effects of the scorching summer heat.
The DepEd was prompted to change the school calendar from August to June due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Bringas said that ending the school year in March 2025 would decrease the school calendar to 165 days. The normal school days should be from 180 to 220 days based on an existing law.
“But our option could be to count some days as alternative delivery modes which are not necessarily in-person classes,” he added.
Bringas said the proposal to end SY 2025-2025 in March 2025 will affect the school break for teachers and students.
“Because if they will end on March 31, we will start in June. April, or May, they would still have that break but will somehow be loaded. Tackling of competencies will be loaded due to the shorter number of school days,” he added in a mix of Filipino and English.
Sen Sherwin Gatchalian, panel chairman, agreed that the government should adhere to the recommendation.
“Because we cannot predict things. Next year, it can be La Nina, it can be El Nino again. It’s very difficult…But we what we are certain is we need to revert back already to the old school calendar,” he said.
Bringas said that 7,605 schools have suspended their in-person classes from April 1 to 26 affecting close to 7 million learners due to the extreme heat.
The weather bureau had said the scorching summer heat may continue until the middle of May.