School break in April to May is “more beneficial” to education compared to July-August vacation, a group of education workers on Monday, May 22, said. (ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN)

“We are almost through the hottest months and it is alarming how it has made our learners and teachers suffer inside the classrooms,” Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Chairperson Vladimer Quetua said in a statement. ACT issued the statement in response to the update given by the Department of Education (DepEd) on the ongoing study regarding reverting the school break to dry season months. Last week, DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa told reporters in an interview that the study to revert the pre-pandemic school calendar is still ongoing. He also noted that there are “several things that we have to consider” especially safety concerns for students who will attend face-to-face classes during the rainy season. READ: [https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/19/reverting-to-old-school-calendar-still-being-studied-dep-ed](https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/19/reverting-to-old-school-calendar-still-being-studied-dep-ed) For ACT, the April-May school break is more beneficial to education given the “damaging impacts” of classes during dry season months on education quality and health of learners and teachers. Apart from the incidences reported by media, ACT said it has received “scores more of reports of learners and teachers nationwide who required medical attention as extreme heat caused dizziness, nose bleeding, fainting and triggered existing medical conditions.” As an intervention, DepEd has directed school heads to implement Alternative Delivery Modes (ADMs) such as blended learning and shorter class hours --- among others --- in areas where students are greatly affected by extreme heat. However, ACT pointed out that blended learning and shortened class period have “only deprived learners more of precious face-to-face learning time than class suspensions in the months of July and August did in the previous school years.” The group noted that in the school year (SY) 2019-2020, a specific area had a maximum of 10 days of class suspension due to heavy rains in July and August. Moreover, ACT noted about 16 days of face-to-face classes or half of the in-classroom learning time “will be lost” if blended learning or shortened class period will be implemented during April and May. Given this, the group reiterated its proposal for the return of the school break to April and May since they would be “more productive” for education. ACT also urged the government to improve the learning environment as classrooms are “cramped and lack facilities like electric fans, water fountains, and ample ventilation, which are important, summer months or otherwise.” DepEd, the group added, must also “immediately present a better solution” to the problems. “We need to hear immediately from the DepEd what it thinks about reverting the school vacation to April and May,” Quetua said. “If they agree, how do they propose to do it? If not, they have to explain why and what is their better alternative,” he added. ACT also urged DepEd to “stop using blended learning as a band-aid solution to every problem the sector encounters” and focus on how to “genuinely improve the education system in the country.”