Teachers propose way to shift to old school calendar

MANILA, Philippines — If the Department of Education (DepEd) is worried that rushing the return to the old school calendar would compromise the vacation of students and teachers, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) is proposing a way to do it without removing the school break from the equation.

In a statement, the TDC said the DepEd could expedite the return to the June-March school calendar for school year 2024-2025 by shortening the school calendar instead.

The group explained that SY 2024-2025 should end on April 11, 2025 or about a month earlier than the DepEd’s plan of May 16, 2025.

The TDC explained that doing so would still give schools 170 days of classes, which is pretty close to the adjusted SY 2023-2024 calendar that only consists of 179 class days.

“By our calculations, this would be around 170 days, not far from the 179 days of this year. And if there will be any shortfall, solutions like having 10 asynchronous Saturday classes can be implemented to meet the traditional 180 days required by DepEd in the past,” it said.

“For the TDC, this is the most effective way to promptly respond to this crisis. Definitely, there is no need to compromise teachers’ and students’ vacations, and no one has to endure the intense heat in April and May. Above all, we can maximize face-to-face classes without frequent delays,” it added.

Even after a week of suspended onsite classes due to extreme heat, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Monday said the DepEd could not immediately shift to the old school calendar as it takes away rest days from teachers, students and school personnel.

The TDC said the reversion to the old school calendar – where classes run from June to March and school break from April to May – seemed feasible starting this coming school year 2024-2025.

It added that there is still time for the DepEd to adjust the SY 2024-2025 calendar so that classes do not extend to April and May, the hottest months of the year.

While the TDC agreed during consultations earlier this year for the phased implementation of the return to the old calendar, it said it believes “it is now necessary to expedite the return to the June-March cycle so that we do not suffer the same consequences in 2025 as we did in 2023 and what we currently endure.”

It said that it is willing to sit with the Vice President and DepEd officials to discuss the proposal.

“In this critical time, we need creative and decisive solutions,” the group added.

Half-day sked

The Division of City Schools-Manila yesterday released a memorandum implementing a half-day schedule for public schools starting April 11 until May 28.

Classes in public schools, both in elementary and secondary school, will start at 6 a.m. and will end at noon, according to the memorandum dated April 8.

The Schools Division Office (SDO) of Manila said this is due to the high heat index being experienced in the country amid the dry season.

Schools have also been directed to recalibrate class schedules in adherence to the time allotment prescribed by DepEd Order No. 21, series of 2019 on the policy guidelines on the K-12 basic education program.

The memorandum, signed by SDO chief education supervisor Nerissa Roxas Lomeda, also stated that there would be an alternate schedule of face-to-face and asynchronous sessions for the morning and afternoon classes.

As this developed, the Department of Education issued an advisory on implementing alternative delivery modes of learning.

“In order to allow learners to complete pending assignments, projects and other requirements, all public schools nationwide shall implement asynchronous classes/distance learning on Monday, April 8, 2024,” the advisory stated.

“Teaching and non-teaching personnel in all public schools shall not be required to report to their stations. Finally, private schools shall not be covered by this advisory, but shall have the option to implement the same,” it added. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Ric Obedencio