Bill seeking return to June-March school year filed in House

A bill reverting the school calendar to June to March starting the school year 2024 to 2025 was filed in the House of Representatives amid the struggle to hold classes in the heat of the summer season.

House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of ACT Teachers party-list, House Assistant Minority Leader Arlene Brosas of Gabriela party-list, and Kabataan party-list Representative Raoul Manuel made the proposal under House Bill 8550 which also limits the number of school days to 180 to 220 days.

“This bill mandates the return of the June to March school calendar because our current school calendar [running from August to June] is not appropriate. Napakainit ng April at May, kung ikukumpara sa ibang bansa na pinaggayahan natin,” Casto said.

(The weather is too hot from April to May which is not comparable with other countries’ situation.)

“We need to adjust,” Castro added.

The school calendar was changed to August to June to prevent class cancellations amid flooding during the wet season in June and July.

Castro, however, said class cancellations due to heavy rains and flooding can be dealt with accordingly compared with too much heat during the summer months of April and May which leaves students, and even teachers, sick, resulting in disrupted learning which was already disrupted for at least two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When it rains, the teachers and students can find ways to deal with this, including using online classes,” she added.

ACT Philippines President Vladimir Quetua and ACT NCR Union President Ruby Bernardo backed Castro, saying that holding classes in intense heat resulted in an unhealthy learning environment and took away due vacation days for both students and teachers.

“During April and May, we are losing our students [in terms of school attendance]. Hindi ito simpleng init lang. Nakakapekto rin ito sa aming pagtuturo,” Quetua said.

“As a result, the vacation days due us teachers, which is 60 days plus 14-day Christmas break, are being chipped away. For one, the classes will end on July 7, but there will still be ceremonial rites, including graduation rites, and even a learning camp [for remedial classes],” he added.

Quetua said the learning camp, being a voluntary initiative, was not included in the teachers’ service incentive leave or paid leave of 15 days in a year.

Bernardo, for her part, said a return to the old system was needed especially since the learning curve among students needed to improve as it had flattened during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools were shut down and classes were confined online.

“As it is during summer months, students fall ill, they suffer nosebleeds and we have to take them to the clinic. Going back to the old calendar will enable us to ensure a healthy balance of implementing quality education while being mindful of the health of the students and teachers,” Bernardo said.

“This bill is a good step to take,” Bernando added.

GMA News Online has reached out to the Department of Education for its response to the bill but the DepEd had yet to reply as of posting time.

But last March, the DepEd said it had no plans of reverting to the old school calendar because alternative learning, or holding classes online, could be implemented when classes were not possible due to the intense heat. — DVM, GMA Integrated News