Manila Bulletin
Philippines
Teachers push for 'shorter' class time pending the return to old school calendar
Philippines
Teachers push for 'shorter' class time pending the return to old school calendar
Teachers push for 'shorter' class time pending the return to old school calendar
Published Apr 12, 2023 08:52 am
Pending the possible return to the pre-pandemic school calendar, a teachers’ group on Wednesday, April 12, proposed to the Department of Education (DepEd) to consider shortening class hours in schools during the hottest months of the year.
JOJO RINOZA / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN
The Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC), in a statement, agreed that there there is a need for the academic calendar to be reverted to the old system to accommodate school breaks during the dry season. However, TDC noted that there are “underlying issues that need to be tackled.” While the TDC sees the discussion on the issue as an “opportunity” to widely tackle the situation of schools beyond the academic calendar, the group said that the problem should be addressed as soon as possible. “Itong problema ng init sa ating mga paaralan ay dapat nating harapin at hindi takasan. Hindi po solusyon sa ngayon na simpleng ibabalik lamang sa Abril at Mayo ang bakasyon ay tapos na ang problema (We must face the problem in dealing with heat in our schools, we should run away from it. Right now, simply returning the vacation to April and May is not the solution and it will not mean that the problem is over),” Caloocan City teacher and TDC National Chairperson Benjo Basas said. Basas pointed out that before the pandemic, there was a perennial proposal to move the opening of classes to August or September primarily due to weather disturbances during the rainy months of June and July. Given this, he noted reverting to the old academic calendar would “necessitate adjustments that may take several years to implement, while the suffering of teachers and learners is felt in real-time.” For instance, Basas said that there is a need for more resilient classrooms designed for learners' convenience and provisions of electric fans or even air-conditioning systems. “Surely, we would be needing funds and policies to implement such,” he added. Instead of waiting for the school calendar to be reverted to the old one, TDC pointed out that a “more strategic approach is needed.” Among the proposals of TDC is to lower the class size to not more than 25 learners. The group is also proposing an “immediate response” by shortening the instructional time that is “more effective, efficient and doable” than returning to distance learning modalities, which DepEd and other parties consider. The DepEd, Basas said, even instructed the field officials to make use of the distance learning system if they find it necessary. “The DepEd may opt to shorten the class time from 6 to 10 in the morning and from 2 to 6 in the afternoon,” Basas said. “By doing so, learners and teachers will be spared from the scorching heat between 10am to 2pm,” he added. The group explained that “shortening instructional time has been a usual practice in the DepEd system and with the introduction of distance learning modalities, the lost time can be replaced by guided learning thru an online or modular approach.” “Huwag naman yung totally ay walang contact ang mga bata sa kanilang teacher for the whole week (We should not allow the children to have no contact with their teacher for the whole week),” he said. The TDC also reiterated that public school teachers are entitled to two months of school break which may be compromised if the DepEd will revert immediately to the old system. The group cited the DepEd Order No. 34, s. 2022, which prescribes the August opening of the school calendar for school years 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025. "We need to fix this and make sure that the welfare of our teachers is considered before implementing the return to the old school calendar,” Basas concluded. The group also has a pending request to DepEd on the matter of school breaks and proportionate vacation pay for teachers.
JOJO RINOZA / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN
The Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC), in a statement, agreed that there there is a need for the academic calendar to be reverted to the old system to accommodate school breaks during the dry season. However, TDC noted that there are “underlying issues that need to be tackled.” While the TDC sees the discussion on the issue as an “opportunity” to widely tackle the situation of schools beyond the academic calendar, the group said that the problem should be addressed as soon as possible. “Itong problema ng init sa ating mga paaralan ay dapat nating harapin at hindi takasan. Hindi po solusyon sa ngayon na simpleng ibabalik lamang sa Abril at Mayo ang bakasyon ay tapos na ang problema (We must face the problem in dealing with heat in our schools, we should run away from it. Right now, simply returning the vacation to April and May is not the solution and it will not mean that the problem is over),” Caloocan City teacher and TDC National Chairperson Benjo Basas said. Basas pointed out that before the pandemic, there was a perennial proposal to move the opening of classes to August or September primarily due to weather disturbances during the rainy months of June and July. Given this, he noted reverting to the old academic calendar would “necessitate adjustments that may take several years to implement, while the suffering of teachers and learners is felt in real-time.” For instance, Basas said that there is a need for more resilient classrooms designed for learners' convenience and provisions of electric fans or even air-conditioning systems. “Surely, we would be needing funds and policies to implement such,” he added. Instead of waiting for the school calendar to be reverted to the old one, TDC pointed out that a “more strategic approach is needed.” Among the proposals of TDC is to lower the class size to not more than 25 learners. The group is also proposing an “immediate response” by shortening the instructional time that is “more effective, efficient and doable” than returning to distance learning modalities, which DepEd and other parties consider. The DepEd, Basas said, even instructed the field officials to make use of the distance learning system if they find it necessary. “The DepEd may opt to shorten the class time from 6 to 10 in the morning and from 2 to 6 in the afternoon,” Basas said. “By doing so, learners and teachers will be spared from the scorching heat between 10am to 2pm,” he added. The group explained that “shortening instructional time has been a usual practice in the DepEd system and with the introduction of distance learning modalities, the lost time can be replaced by guided learning thru an online or modular approach.” “Huwag naman yung totally ay walang contact ang mga bata sa kanilang teacher for the whole week (We should not allow the children to have no contact with their teacher for the whole week),” he said. The TDC also reiterated that public school teachers are entitled to two months of school break which may be compromised if the DepEd will revert immediately to the old system. The group cited the DepEd Order No. 34, s. 2022, which prescribes the August opening of the school calendar for school years 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025. "We need to fix this and make sure that the welfare of our teachers is considered before implementing the return to the old school calendar,” Basas concluded. The group also has a pending request to DepEd on the matter of school breaks and proportionate vacation pay for teachers.