At least two senators welcomed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s call to accelerate moves to revert to the old school calendar by next year.
In an interview, Marcos had agreed there is a need to shift to the old school calendar in order to counter the effects of the extreme hot weather caused by the El Niño phenomenon to students.
“I thank President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for calling for an expedited reversion to the old school calendar by next year,” Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said in a statement.
“These past few weeks, we have seen how the extreme heat led to several suspensions of face-to-face classes in many parts of the country, which disrupted the continuity of education for our learners,” the senator noted.
“We also have to keep in mind that the extreme heat poses a threat to the health, safety, and well-being of our learners and teachers,” he added.
By moving back the opening of classes to June, Gatchalian said it can help restore normalcy to the school calendar cycle, which the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in 2020.
“Moving forward, I will continue working with the Department of Education (DepEd) and other stakeholders to ensure the smoothest possible transition back to the old school calendar,” he added.
Sen. Francis Tolentino also supported President Marcos’ idea of a reversion to the old school calendar.
“Yes, I totally agree with the reversion to the old school calendar as it will greatly help our learners and teachers cope with the post pandemic educational catch up plans given the current unbearable weather conditions,” Tolentino said.
“Hindi talaga kaya ang init ng panahon ngayon (The hot weather these days is really unbearable),” he added.