School’s in, School’s out. Which month?

By Mary Angelica Amerkhan

THE Philippines has been using the June-April academic calendar for as long as history can recall. Rizal, for instance, first entered college on June 16, 1875.

The “old” school calendar in the Philippines typically referred to the academic year that started in June and ended in March or April, with a break over the summer months. This calendar followed for many years before the government implemented the K-12 educational system, which resulted in adjustments to the school calendar. Reverting to the old calendar would require policy changes and considerations for the current educational structure and needs of students and educators. Any such decision would likely involve consultations with stakeholders and careful planning to ensure a smooth transition.

Why do we need to bring back the old-school calendar?

Several individuals have been calling on the government to revert to the old school calendar, citing the struggle of students and teachers to hold classes during the dry season.
The decision to shift the school year’s start back to June is a response to numerous complaints regarding the challenges of conducting classes during the scorching summer months.

Filipinos consider March to May to be the summer months.

The move aims to alleviate the burden on students, teachers, and educational institutions that have faced issues related to the intense heat and other climatic factors affecting the learning environment.

According to DepEd Central Visayas Director Salustiano Jimenez, “Our classrooms are not designed for summer. We did not design it for extreme heat, especially when our heat index reaches 34 to 38 degrees Celsius. If that is the scenario, it will be hot and our learners cannot concentrate on their studies.”

The heat index is a measure that considers both air temperature and relative humidity to determine how hot it feels to the human body. It plays a crucial role in assessing the potential health risks associated with hot and humid conditions.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), a heat index of 38 degrees Celsius falls under the extreme caution classification. This implies that it may pose health risks to those exposed to high temperatures.

The school opening in the country was moved to October 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ADM was implemented.

Aside from going back to the old-school calendar, what about moving it from June to July?

Why do we have to avoid June?

From my observations for every June. I have noticed that the traffic tends to gridlock because of parades, motorcades, fun runs, flag-raising ceremonies, and events, and for teachers, mid-inventory. The government sectors are celebrating Independence Day. Considering that June has plenty of events and holidays.

Going back to the old school calendar is something that the sectors have to consider since we live in a tropical climate and we only have two seasons: Wet and Dry seasons. We are not like other countries where they have four seasons. A change in the academic calendar by some schools should also take into consideration the weather factor. The country’s weather, after all, has become even more unpredictable with climate change.