School break

Two weeks ago a young mother I know was abruptly informed that the “Kiddie 1” classes of her three-year-old daughter, which were supposed to be until next month, were over for the school year.

The school is state-run, and the mother is unsure if the government decided to end the school year early because of the extreme heat, which has forced the suspension of classes in higher grades or a shift to ADM – alternative delivery modes of learning.

But the Kiddie classroom is air-conditioned and the class size is manageable, with only about 20 pupils. Maybe the rest of the school has poor ventilation so the faculty and school administration decided to end the school year several weeks early.

Kiddie 1, incidentally, is the entry level for school children these days, at least in that part of Metro Manila. There’s Kiddie 2 and then Kindergarten. I guess Kiddie 1 and 2 are the new names for play or nursery school.

The girl misses her classes, but these days she can spend time in a small inflatable pool to cool off in the intense heat.

Pre-pandemic, frolicking in the water was what people did in the peak of the Philippine summer. And yes, we called it summer, which weather specialists say is not accurate in a country without four seasons.

Today families can still cool off in beaches and pools, but only during weekends, because younger members are still in school.

Some resort owners have openly wondered in recent media interviews why they have few customers despite the extreme heat. The answer, folks, is that the school year isn’t over. Many schools are in fact just entering the period for final exams, and students can’t afford to relax in their studies.

Those resort owners will have to write off their hoped-for pre-pandemic summer earnings this year. The current academic year will be ending as the monsoon season starts. People aren’t going to swim or trek in the mountains when their street is flooded and torrential train is pouring.

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The impact on the travel and tourism industry of the current academic calendar will have to be among the considerations as the government moves slowly in reverting to the pre-pandemic school schedule.

Vice President and Department of Education Secretary Sara Duterte pointed to the need for teachers to enjoy a sufficient rest period between school years, as DepEd rejected a speedy reversion to the pre-pandemic calendar this SY 2024-2025.

Both the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition and party-list Alliance of Concerned Teachers, however, are pushing to speed up the return. This could be possible, the TDC said, if the number of school days would be cut.

As planned by the DepEd, the current school year ends this May 31. The next academic year starts on July 29 and ends on May 16, 2025. With gradual adjustment, it will end on April 2 in the next school year and finally in March in the following SY.

In a statement issued on April 9, the TDC said SY 2024-2025 could end on April 27 next year instead of May 16. The full return to the June to March school year can then be implemented in SY 2025-2026.

Under the TDC formula, there will be 33 Saturdays of asynchronous classes, which will bring the total number of school days to 193 – more than the 180 school days that the DepEd deems to be non-negotiable.

If teachers themselves are ready to conduct those Saturday asynchronous classes to meet the required number of school days, perhaps the DepEd can accept the proposal from the TDC.

With President Marcos saying he saw no reason for Duterte to leave the DepEd, she can give the TDC proposal sufficient attention. (The VP’s critics, on the other hand, say nothing is stopping her from submitting an irrevocable resignation, amid her relatives’ incessant insults hurled at BBM and calls for him to resign.)

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In my youth, summer was a time for flying kites, playing piko or Pinoy hopscotch and tumbang preso with neighborhood kids.

These outdoor activities are alien to today’s youths who are glued to gadgets, sedentary and unable to socialize. (Child welfare advocates say the pandemic lockdowns made kids even more averse to socializing.) But the kids must be familiar with the joys of swimming, trekking or plain sightseeing outside the cities – activities that are best enjoyed during bright, sunny weather.

Surely both BBM and VP Sara also grew up enjoying their school breaks during summer (the real summer in the Western hemisphere for BBM, who studied abroad).

The need to revert ASAP to the June-March calendar is gaining urgency as we swelter in still-rising temperatures. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but this summer seems to be the hottest in my lifetime.

Students and teachers alike should be cooling off in the beaches and mountains instead of sweltering in poorly ventilated classrooms or struggling with ADM.

The pandemic showed us that there are millions of students whose homes are not conducive to remote education. Their houses are cramped, without air-conditioning or proper ventilation. Siblings are forced to share the needed gadgets. Household and neighborhood noises – children wailing, dogs barking, people fighting or talking loudly – distract learning.

ADM, however, has become a viable option during emergencies, such as the ongoing heatwave. As of yesterday, DepEd recorded over 7,000 schools conducting classes through ADM due to the intense heat. ADM can be more comfortable during the cooler monsoon season, although typhoons can disrupt internet connection.

The school break is meant to rest body and mind. Enjoying the school vacation promotes both physical and mental health.

This is best done during sunny weather, regardless of the temperature. The sooner the country can revert to the old school calendar, the better.