House opposition support DepEd plan to revert start of classes to June

An opposition leader in the House of Representatives backed the proposal to shift the country’s education system to the old school calendar, June to March, instead of the present August to May.

House Deputy Minority leader France Castro said the move to revert the start of classes back to June stems from the collective demand of numerous students, teachers, and parents.

Castro, nominee of ACT Teachers party-list group, said the old academic calendar is better to alleviate the effects of the summer season on students and teachers.

“It is not some arbitrary whim, but the result of the horrendous heat that teachers and students have to endure during summer classes that many were hospitalized or fell sick,” said Castro.

“Students and teachers also go to school during the rainy season and have [adapted well] to it. It also seems that more time for classes [was] wasted during summer because classes cannot have lessons due to the extreme heat,” said Castro.

Earlier Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez thumbed down the proposal to revert the country’s education system to the old school calendar.

Rodrigue stressed the inconvenience of the rainy season, most of which falls within the June-March period, as his reason for supporting the August to May schedule.  

“Let’s retain the present academic calendar for the sake of our children. Let’s spare them from rainy-season related ailments, like colds, fever and flu,” he said.

He said just one life saved “is worth the decision to shift to the new August-May schedule.”

Rodriguez cited studies that have found there are fewer rainy days in the present school calendar than in the old one.

“Let’s not expose our students and children to more rain, more flooding, and more rainy weather-linked risks,” he said, adding that younger children or those in the pre-school, kindergarten, and primary levels are the most vulnerable.  

He said fewer rainy days also mean fewer cancellation of classes.