Solons oppose bid to move opening of classes to September

Senator Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Two lawmakers are opposed to Senator Franklin Drilon’s suggestion to move the opening of classes to September instead of June to reduce class disruptions caused by the rainy season.

Kabataan Party-list Representative Raymond Palatino and ACT Teachers Party-list Representative Antonio Tinio are recommending instead that the Department of Education study possible minor adjustments to the school calendar.

Palatino said that the government needs a “more compelling reason” for pushing back the opening of classes to September, pointing out how tropical storms like Ondoy and Pepeng occurred during the said month.

Tinio suggested in a Radyo Inquirer 990AM interview on Monday the option of reducing the number of days without classes during holidays, setting as an example the more than two weeks’ worth of school break during Christmas. Long holiday breaks like this could be shortened to ensure that students spend the required number of days in school.

Using the rainy season as an excuse to move the date of opening of classes was unacceptable to Tinio who pointed out that extreme weather disturbances were not simultaneously felt throughout the country.

Tinio said that should the suggestion push through, classes could also stretch out towards the summer, making learning in cramped classrooms challenging for both the educators and the students.

This was echoed by Palatino who said that moving the opening of classes “will not solve anything. Students will still be inconvenienced by floods and classes will still be disrupted by freak storms and rains. And since there will be classes during the hot summer period, the learning ability of students in cramped and overcrowded classrooms will suffer too.”

Tinio said that moving the opening of classes to September was a suggestion made year after year but has failed to receive support.

He suggested that the government look into flood control and solid waste management projects which could help reduce flooding. The use of schools as evacuation centers was also something Tinio wanted to be checked, saying that the government should study having separate infrastructure specifically for use at the height of calamities.

For more of the interview, listen to Radyo Inquirer 990AM.