Following a slew of complaints from teachers and students about the unbearable heat during summer classes, the Makabayan bloc filed a bill on Monday aiming to revert the 2024 to 2025 school calendar to the pre-pandemic schedule of June to March.
The bill, House Bill No. 8550, was filed by representatives from various party-list groups, including Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel, Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, and House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) party-list. The bill proposes to amend Republic Act No. 7797, which was previously amended by RA 11480, allowing the President to alter the commencement of classes during a state of emergency or calamity.
The explanatory note for HB 8550 states that under the proposed amendment, the school year will begin on the first Monday of June, but not later than the last day of August, particularly indicating a June opening for the 2024 to 2025 school year. This adjustment ensures the urgent return to the pre-pandemic school calendar.
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In addition, the bill advocates for the “early” closure of the 2023-2024 school year on the fourth week of May 2024 and for providing an appropriate number of leave service credits to teachers. This proposition aims to give teachers at least a week of rest between the two school years, thus reducing the 180-day “nonnegotiable contact time” established by the Department of Education (DepEd).
Public school teachers, who bore the brunt of the summer heat, have warmly welcomed the proposed bill. ACT chair Vladimer Quetua expressed the gravity of the situation, calling it “a big deal for us teachers because we don’t want to repeat the intense heat we endured this school year.”
An online survey conducted by ACT’s National Capital Region union in March revealed that nearly 87% of public school teachers reported that their students struggled to concentrate on their lessons due to the heat in classrooms. The survey also highlighted that about 37% of teachers claimed the heat exacerbated existing medical conditions among both teachers and students.
Furthermore, Rep. France Castro has noted that the current August to May school calendar has also affected the agricultural sector. Students who once assisted their families during the planting season are now unable to do so due to the shifted school schedule.
“The return to the June to March school calendar [would] not only improve the quality of education but [would] also benefit our farmers by allowing students to participate in planting and harvesting activities during the appropriate season,” Castro stated. She also emphasized the need for the return to the previous school calendar to be implemented safely, adhering strictly to health protocols and guidelines.
DepEd, under the direction of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, shifted the opening of the school year 2020-2021 from June to August in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This new school calendar was carried over to subsequent years.
Despite these calls for change, DepEd reported in March that it had no plans to revert to the old-school calendar as proposed by a senator. However, DepEd spokesperson Undersecretary Michael Poa disclosed that a group had been formed to study the recommendation.
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