School year opening for year 2018
CHANGING the opening of the school year was filed by Senator Francis Escudero with the Senate Bill 1432. It seeks to mandate all public and private schools to start their school year on the second Monday of August but not later than the second Monday of September. Majority of top institutions in the world start on these days. Doing this might be beneficial to our country. This might attract a pool of talented students and faculty. He also cited that this might also mitigate the effects of the rainy season where classes are suspended and make up classes may be scheduled instead. Another great advantage in the shift is to make the transition easier for students who will study abroad. When shifting is done by higher Institutions , that is their prerogative. My only grandchild is taking her course in Veterinary Medicine course in UPLB and they are using this calendar of opening in August. So far, I do not see any disadvantage here.
Department of Education (Deped) sticks to June school opening, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said. This is the ideal time to start classes, particularly in public schools. If classes start in August and last till the summer months of April and May, the summer heat may be unbearable to young students. The physical structures of most school buildings are not suitable to the very hot summer months. The learners’health is at stake. The classrooms are hot , like ovens , during the summer months. The students are exposed to a great deal of discomfort due to diseases like sore eyes, stomach ache, dengue , and measles. With this calendar , June opening, both teachers and students have plans on how to spend their summer months to relax and attend to their personal int er est s.
On the school curriculum, needed and timely subject matter are added, like drug education. There will be an integration by the Deped of a special module. The module covers Grade 4 to 12 students both public and private schools. The module was created with the cooperation of the Department of Health, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Philippine National Police, and school officials.
I am sad reading this as everyone is made to believe that drug addiction is a crime and drug addicts are law breakers. I will let you in, in this most effective drug addiction and crimes connected with it can be solved. Yes, this is proven by the more sympathetic approach of prevention when we include the family. The wholesome family life of any son or daughter with loving and caring parents will never talk of crimes, as a menace to society. Addiction to drug is not the crime. Once parents notice changes in the life style of their sons and daughters in drugs they should not hide it. They with love and care and counsel them. They must help kick out the ‘evil’ which unfortunately beset them. Their children loving them in return will check their wrong doing. Stealing money from them to slyly buy drugs will stop.
Concerning the efforts of all the agencies mentioned above, they are useful because knowing the evils of drug abuse is one step for the youth to avoid it. Above is a well- rounded solution to drug abuse. None of innocent children slyly ordered by their erring parents to deliver sachets of drugs to buyers. None of whole families going to jail because of drug crimes.
The program on the feeding of kids and moms is another commendable project which I like to expound here. This will benefit the infants and pregnant and lactating mothers. This is needed to institutionalize the Supplemental Feeding programs in the grade schools to promote the right to health of our citizens. This will alleviate poverty and hunger in the country. It is also a crucial investment in the human capital which will impact on economic productivity, growth, and national development. The food packets can be distributed by the barangay health workers.
DSWD validation on poor residents. This is done to know if a family can be a valid beneficiary of the current Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (PPPP). A check up is being made to be sure of the number of valid qualifiers . All qualified families are given the grants. They are checked up periodically to see if they are sending their children to school. Past successful beneficiaries are proofs of the labor of this philanthropic program.