Teachers propose way to shift to old school calendar

If the Department of Education (DepEd) is worried that rushing the return to the old school calendar would compromise the vacation of students and teachers, the Teachers' Dignity Coalition (TDC) is proposing a way to do it without removing the school break from the equation.

- NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS

In a statement, the TDC said the DepEd could expedite the return to the June-March school calendar for school year 2024-2025 by shortening the school calendar instead.

The group explained that SY 20242025 should end on April 11, 2025 or about a month earlier than the DepEd's plan of May 16, 2025.

The TDC explained that doing so would still give schools 170 days of classes, which is pretty close to the adjusted SY 2023-2024 calendar that only consists of 179 class days.

"By our calculations, this would be around 170 days, not far from the 179 days of this year. And if there will be any shortfall, solutions like having 10 asynchronous Saturday classes can be implemented to meet the traditional 180 days required by DepEd in the past," it said.

"For the TDC, this is the most effective way to promptly respond to this crisis. Definitely, there is no need to compromise teachers' and students' vacations, and no one has to endure the intense heat in April and May. Above all, we can maximize face-to-face classes without frequent delays," it added.