Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
Reverting to the old school calendar in which classes open in June is still under consultation with various stakeholders, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said on Thursday, Jan. 25, during the annual Basic Education Report (BER).
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte delivers her second Basic Education Report on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. (DepEd screenshot)
The official disclosed this during the BER 2024 event at the Sofitel Manila in Pasay City.
“On the reversion of the School Calendar, we have recently conducted a consultation in the Central Office with various teacher organizations, parent-teachers associations, student leaders and other relevant groups,” she said.
“Consultations on the ground – at the Regional and Division levels – are currently ongoing. We are awaiting the results of the consultation,” the official added.
While she did not give more details, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) earlier said that the Department of Education (DepEd), which Duterte chairs in a concurrent capacity, agreed to return to the old school calendar of June to March.
The reversion will begin after the end of School Year 2023-2024 and the start of SY 2024-2025 are officially adjusted. SY 2023-2024, official scheduled to end on June 14, will end earlier, while SY 2024-2025 will begin in July instead of August.
This adjustment, according to the teachers’ organizations, will allow schools to revert to the June-March school calendar for SY 2025-2026.
This was in response to complaints from students, parents, and teachers that most public school classrooms cannot handle the heat in April and May, the height of the summer season in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Duterte also disclosed that DepEd is crafting a new immersion program for senior high school students.
“We are currently in talks with a mall group for the development of work immersion programs for our Senior High School learners, with the aim of providing eventual employment possibilities upon graduation,” she said.
In an earlier post, the Vice President shared about her recent meeting with retail chain giant SM Supermalls to discuss the possibility of it offering an immersion program and employment for graduates of the country’s K-12 program. — Raymund Antonio
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
