DepEd's Old Academic Calendar Is Set To Return Next Year
DepEd’s Old Academic Calendar Is Set To Return Next Year
In an interview on Monday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. backs the return of the old school calendar, believing it would be ideal for young students. This is after the Department of Education (DepEd) appealed to him through a letter regarding the prompt revert of the academic calendar to the original.
”I asked Inday Sara to give me already a concrete plan because mukha naman hindi na tayo kailangan mag-antay pa at mukha namang kailangan na,” Marcos told reporters at the Government-Owned or-Controlled Corporations Day in Pasay City.
Marcos then said, ‘Í don’t see any objections really from anyone especially with the El Niño being what it is. Every day you turn on the news, F2F classes are canceled, F2F classes have been postponed, et cetera.” He continued, “So yes, that’s part of the plan that we’re trying to do to bring it back already to the old schedule. I think it would be better for the kids.”
President Marcos eyes to implement the return of the old calendar next year. This decision was prompted by public clamor because the hotter months of April and May are not conducive to learning, especially for kids. From April to May this year, DepEd has declared in-person class suspensions due to excessive heat.
Revert to the old academic calendar
DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas responds to Marcos’ statement, saying the department will abide by the president’s decision on returning to the old school calendar as soon as possible.
According to the DepEd official, the “most aggressive option” to revert to the old school calendar would be ending SY 2024-2025 on March 31, 2025, which would only accumulate around 165 school days. But under the Republic Act 7797, the school year in the Philippines should be between 200 and 220 days.
However, nothing is final yet, as DepEd hasn’t provided detailed plans for the rapid transition. The agency explained that Marcos is still reviewing the options presented to him.
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