The immediate shift to the old school calendar will affect the welfare of learners and teachers, according to the Department of Education (DepEd).
“To reduce the timeline any further would have significant impacts not only on learning outcomes but also on the well-being of learners and teachers due to the lack of sufficient breaks,” the DepEd said in a statement released late Wednesday.
The DepEd noted that the two-year gradual reversion is already a reduced timeline compared to the originally proposed five-year reversion.
The department’s remark came after calls to immediately bring the old school calendar back instead of its gradual reversion over two years.
It said it would discuss the matter with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. after he expressed his willingness to find ways to expedite the reversion of the school calendar amid in-person class suspensions due to scorching heat.
“Rest assured that DepEd is committed to improving the quality of basic education and will seek clarification from the President in relation to his recent pronouncements regarding the reversion upon his return from the Trilateral Summit,” it said.
In February, the DepEd released Department Order 3, series of 2024, adjusting the end of School Year (SY) 2023-2024 to May 31, setting the school break from June 1 to July 26, and the succeeding SY from July 29, 2024 to May 16, 2025.
Earlier, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte explained that the “gradual” reversion to the original April-May school break is a result of consultations with the central office, regional, and division schools office, as well as with parents and other stakeholders.
In terms of in-person class suspensions, the DepEd reiterated its policy on shifting to alternative delivery modes (ADM), to ensure unhampered learning.
“Giving school heads, who are in the best position to accurately assess the learning environment on the ground, the discretion to switch to ADMs provides a more immediate and effective response to heat conditions rather than knee-jerk changes that would further compromise learning recovery,” it said.
Besides school heads, local government units may also implement in-person school suspensions in times of calamities or man-made disasters.
To date, 5,844 out of 47,678 public schools nationwide have implemented ADMs. (PNA)
