'No classes in April, May more productive for education'

Having no classes in April and May would be more productive for education, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said as it expressed concern about the impact of onsite class suspensions on effective teaching and learning.

- NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS

In a statement, the ACT said that its proposal to end classes by April in the coming school year 2024-2025 would give schools 175 class days, a slight deviation from the current 179.

The group added that if the DepEd would consider proposals for the immediate shift to the prepandemic school calendar, it would reduce the adverse impacts on learning outcomes and the well-being of learners and teachers in holding classes amid intense heat during the hottest months of the year.

“For SY 2025-2026, we can start classes by June 23, 2025 and end classes by March 31, 2026 and we will have 188 school days. Then for SY 2026-2027, we can start the classes by June 8, 2026 which completes our reversion to the pre-pandemic calendar,” ACT chairman Vladimer Quetua said.