BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson favors a return to the old academic calendar that set the end of the school year in March which is the beginning of the dry season.
During the Duterte administration, the Department of Education (DepEd) adjusted the country’s school calendar to keep pace with the international educational system.
However, Lacson said, the current situation demands a rethinking of the prevailing school calendar.
“If we follow the current academic calendar, the school break is during the rainy season. Students cannot really go out and relax,” Lacson said.
The governor said he sees the point of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian to bring back the April-to-May summer break as it is the only suitable time for the country’s students to really unwind.
Another reason he is pushing for the return of the old school calendar is the scorching heat of the dry season that is not conducive for leaning.
Not all classrooms in the country have air-conditioning units, said Lacson.
The high heat index could affect the learning performance and even the health of students, he stressed.
On Tuesday, March 28, Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on basic education, said schools should go back to the June-to-March 10-month academic year.
He made the suggestion after several high school students in Cabuyao, Laguna were hospitalized due to heat exhaustion during a surprise fire drill.
Another reason why DepEd adopted the current August-to-July school calendar was the lockdowns imposed in 2020 during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
With the end of the pandemic already in sight, Gatchalian said it is also time for the country’s academic calendar to return to its previous schedules.
DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said the department will look into the matter.
“We will take note of the suggestions,” he said.
Poa initially said the department has “no plans” to revert to the old academic calendar./PN
