DepEd to shorten next school year by 15 days

MANILA, Philippines —  The Department of Education (DepEd) will cut the prescribed minimum of 180 school days for the coming school year 2024-2025 by 15 days to ensure that students and teachers are not in classrooms during extreme summer heat by April and May 2025.

DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas said the agency plans to start SY 2024-2025 on July 29 and end it on March 31, 2025, with 165 school days or 15 days short of the 180 to 220 days prescribed by the law.

“The immediate effect of the transition is if we’re going to end in March 2025, the number of school days will be reduced to 165. Historically, the minimum has been 180 school days, and because we will shorten the SY, we will have to cope with the possible non-covering of some competencies,” Bringas explained in an interview on PTV.

To prevent schools from being unable to cover all required competencies for the next SY, the DepEd will employ drastic measures to ensure all competencies are covered in a shorter period of time, according to the education official.

“So that’s what the curriculum and teaching strands are preparing to make sure that there will not be an increase or additional learning loss,” he said.

President Marcos earlier directed the DepEd to immediately revert to the June-to-March academic calendar, prompting the agency to abandon its phased transition protocol that would have taken full hold three SYs from now.

While various groups and education stakeholders welcomed the move, some lawmakers and experts are wary about the consequences of shortening the period of schooling, considering how Filipino students are currently five to six years behind in learning competencies, based on international assessments.

Acknowledging these apprehensions, Bringas noted that the DepEd’s Bureau of Learning Delivery (BLD) is currently crafting a “concrete plan” to ensure that students would not continue lagging in their competencies with the shortened SY.

“Experts’ opinions are important – in that, if we shorten the school days, it has to be covered and aided by innovative and useful approaches so that the coverage of competencies would still have quality despite the reduced number of school days,” he said.

“This is exactly the same reason why the (BLD) is crafting a concrete plan on the implementation of the curriculum for a shortened number of school days… We will be employing several interventions strengthening and enhancing our current approaches to ensure that the mastery of the competencies is ensured,” he added.

The DepEd earlier said that among the measures being considered is holding online classes on weekends.

Due to the lockdown and remote learning mode in schools caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, public schools opened their school year in October that year.

The academic calendar opened in August when full onsite classes resumed last year.

Various groups have been calling for the immediate return to the old school calendar, citing the extreme heat experienced by students in March and April.

Even lawmakers have sought to intervene by filing proposals to shift to the old calendar, stressing that the current school calendar running from August to June is inappropriate in the country.

Because of the current calendar, which holds classroom learning during April and May, thousands of schools have suspended onsite classes this month and throughout last month due to the extreme heat.

While encouraging the public to protect their well-being amid existing and emerging health risks brought about by the hot weather, Sen. Bong Go expressed support for the DepEd’s intent to revert to the previous school calendar where breaks are held during the dry season.

The DepEd on Tuesday formally announced through Department Order No. 003, Series of 2024, that starting next school year, the academic calendar will shift back to its old schedule.

“The weather is really hot these days. It is a big pain for teachers and students, and it delays their studies. We must prioritize the health of the youth in such a way that education is not sacrificed,” Go said.

News articles referencing information from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration have highlighted that temperatures in certain regions have hit “danger levels.”

Recently, Metro Manila experienced its highest recorded temperature of 38.8 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record of 38.6 degrees Celsius set in 1915.

The adjustment comes in response to the rising heat index, which has prompted calls for a scheduling overhaul to ensure the safety and comfort of students.

Go’s endorsement of this shift underscored the importance of balancing the health and well-being of students with the need to ensure quality education.

“As the chairperson of the (Senate) committee on health, my first priority is the safety, health and welfare of the students. And I am glad, as reported, that President Bongbong Marcos is open to the idea of immediately returning our school to the old school calendar because of the intense heat every summer,” he said.

Leave credits

Meanwhile, a member of the House of Representatives is proposing that teachers be granted additional service leave credits should the old school calendar be restored.

Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, who chairs the House committee on basic education and culture, said this should compensate the teachers for their summer vacation that would be shortened when the plan to revert to the old school calendar pushes through.

“We will still have a summer vacation, but it will be shortened... We all know the nature of the work of our teachers,” Romulo said in an interview over ANC.

Under the law, teachers are allowed 60 to 70 days of summer break and 14 days of Christmas vacation.

Romulo’s committee convened last Monday to start evaluating the phased implementation of the DepEd’s new MATATAG curriculum.

The lawmaker has expressed concerns on the impact that the new curriculum would have on “learning continuity,” particularly on Grades 1 to 3 students, if the old school calendar is restored in June.

Romulo underscored the need to develop the reading comprehension of Filipino elementary students.  – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Sheila Crisostomo