President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants the return of the old school calendar as early as next school year to avoid cancellation of classes due to the extreme heat brought about by the El Niño phenomenon.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) Day in Pasay City on Monday, President Marcos said he has already asked Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte to provide a concrete plan on the shift to old school calendar.
“Well, of course, hiningi ko ‘yan sa DepEd 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,” President Marcos said.
“Especially, with the El Niño being what it is. Every day you turn on the news, F2F classes are cancelled, F2F classes have been postponed, etcetera. 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.
Some schools in most parts of the country have resorted into online classes to protect the children from the extreme heat.
Marcos said going back to the old school calendar “will be better for the kids.”
The President said going back to the old school calendar “will be better for the kids.”
Asked if this would be implemented by next year, Marcos said, ''Hopefully by next year, yes, matatapos na (it will be finished).''
Heeding the public’s clamor for an immediate return to the old school calendar due to extreme heat, the DepEd has suggested to Marcos to end the coming school year 2024-2025 in March 2025 and start the succeeding school year by June.
Reaction from DepEd
In a Zoom interview, DepEd Undersecretary and Spokesperson Michael Poa said the agency is committed to follow the order of President Marcos.
“The Department of Education will implement and will abide by the decision of the President ukol dito sa reversion natin doon sa June to March o iyong original natin na school calendar (about the reversion to June to March or our original school calendar),” he said.
Among the options presented by DepEd to Marcos is an earlier ending of school year (SY) 2024-2025 on March 31, 2025, which entails a lower number of days for in-person classes equivalent to 165 days.
Poa, however, said these options were not solely driven by the effects of climate in the country.
“Iyon po ang talagang naging sanhi ng mga proposal natin; one is again, ito iyong gusto ng karamihan sa ating mga kababayan. And pangalawa, syempre economic considerations po pagdating sa ating local tourist destinations (The reason behind our proposal is one, this is preferred by the majority of our people. Secondly, of course, economic considerations to our local tourist destinations),” he said.
Moving forward, Poa said learning disruptions may be prevented despite the looming La Niña through the implementation of alternative delivery modes (ADM).
Under the ADM approach, learners may continue their tasks via online classes, modules, or blended learning.
To date, local government units and school heads are implementing ADMs in areas with high heat index.
As of Monday, 7,372 out of 47,678 public schools nationwide have implemented ADM.
Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian thanked President Marcos for the “good news.”
The chairperson of the Senate Basic Education panel vowed to continue working with DepEd and other basic education stakeholders "to ensure the smoothest possible transition back to the old school calendar. PNA
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