June opening possible with shorter school calendar, says teacher’s group

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Reverting to the old school calendar can be done as soon as possible with certain sacrifices, a teachers’ group said on Tuesday.

Benjo Basas, Teachers’ Dignity Coalition chair, said the Department of Education (DepEd) could easily implement the immediate return to the old academic calendar, in which regular classes are conducted from June to March with summer breaks from April to May, but not at the expense of vacation days for both teachers and students.

He suggested instead shortening the current school calendar—the “only sacrifice we need to make without compromising the school break.”

READ: Changing calendars for changing times

READ: More schools change mode of classes due to intense summer heat

“Theoretically, two full months per quarter will be possible with some adjustments to the learning competencies,” Basas said.

“Therefore, we can expedite the return to the June-March cycle, with school year 2024-2025 serving as the transition period,” he added.

The school year could end on April 11, 2025, or earlier than DepEd’s proposal of May 16, 2025.

“Only two weeks of April are utilized in classes, avoiding the entire month of May,” Basas said, making it possible to return to the June school opening. —DEMPSEY REYES