Private schools propose to start classes after 8 a.m.

MANILA, Philippines - A group of private school school owners proposed to the Department of Education to start classes after 8 a.m. for students to absorb the subjects better.

Citing a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Federation of Association of Private Schools and Administrators said school managers should adjust the start of classes from 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

FAPSA president Eleazardo Kasilag said high school students who report to school at 6 a.m. or even 7 a.m. need to be shaken up or have to be told of funny anecdotes by teachers for them to start listening in classes for major subjects, usually given in the first hours of the day. 

"This is the antiquated belief in the schools: English, Math, Science, Filipino and History, all major subjects, are placed early in a day as recommended by ersatz 'experts' that the absorptive power of students is quite effective in the morning," Kasilag said.

"Get a sample of DepEd card and it will show that the minor subjects are taught later in a day which according to the finding is the time when kids are all perked up only to learn P.E., Home Economics and Livelihood education --apparently we got it all wrong," Kasilag added. 

He said that based on the AAP report, "simply telling youths to go to bed earlier so that they're functional at such an early hour is ineffective because biological changes brought about by puberty make it impossible for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m."

"Most of our teenagers either finish the last full show on TV, [browse] the net or update every minute their Facebook and sleep only around past midnight. So, in the morning, they listen to the lesson and perfect the math formula as they daydream in the classroom from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.. More than two long hours [are] lost every day among high school students," he said.

Kasilag said that starting classes at 8:30 a.m. will also help in decongesting the monstrous traffic situation in Metro Manila because by the the time students begin to get into the streets, all workers and employees are already in their respective offices.