DepEd suggests ‘aggressive’ end to SY 2024-2025 to speed up calendar shift
MANILA — Citing the clamor for a quick return to the old school calendar, the Department of Education (DepEd) has made the “aggressive” recommendation to the Office of the President to end School Year (SY) 2024 to 2025 by March 2025.
A DepEd executive told a Senate panel yesterday this was among the recommendations the department submitted to the Palace, as it recognized some sectors who had cited the heat in calling for the immediate reversion to the old April to May school break.
“In response to the recent clamor for a more immediate reversion to the April-May school break, the department has already submitted a letter to the Office of the President presenting other options, including a more aggressive alternative of ending SY 2024-2025 in March 2025,” DepEd Assistant
Secretary Francis Cesar Bringas told a hearing of the Senate Committee on Basic Education chaired by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.
“In the meantime, we respectfully appeal to the Committee to allow the President time to study the said options carefully,” Bringas added.
School work on Saturdays
Bringas explained that the aggressive approach would lead to school work even on Saturdays, if adopted, because of the reduced number of days in person.
“Definitely, the aggressive approach that would end this coming school year by March 2025 would have several implications ... We are looking at 165 days full in person if we do it aggressively,” Bringas said.
Bringas explained even teachers will be affected.
“It will have an implication on the school break for teachers because we all know that teachers to a proportional vacation pay [PVP] that is two months after each school year, and the PVP is computed based on the number of school days in a given school year, so there has to be a compromise there,” Bringas said.
DepEd earlier said it does not want to rush a return to the old academic calendar because it would compromise rest days for students and for school staff.
“It will definitely have an effect on the number of days of the break for the learners because if they end March 31, we will start in June, April-May they will still have that break but medyo siksik,” Bringas added.
“If we have 165 days, we have to look for some days that will be devoted to ADM [alternative delivery modes, like online classes or takehome modules] to cover some of the competencies that may not be taken up during the regular [school days],” Bringas added.
When Gatchalian asked if that meant school work on Saturdays, Bringas said as much.
“Definitely Saturdays ... Iyun ‘yung sinasabi natin na isa sa mga compromises natin because if we do that aggressively, then sacrifice natin ‘yung some hours for the learners and some days for the teachers.”
Bringas said the proposal does not cover private schools. (ABS-CBN News)