Return to old school calendar backed

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government will do its best to revert the school calendar to its old schedule as soon as possible following a week of class suspension due to the scorching heat.

«The problem is climate change. We didn't expect it to be this way. Usually it's hot now, but this early, it's really hot,» the President told reporters.

«As much as possible, we would like to bring back the old calendar because there's already a consensus that it was better. We think it's not going to be easy but as long as there's a way, we're going to find ways to do it earlier and revert the students to their normal schedule,» he added.

Various groups have called for the return to the old school calendar due to the heat experienced by students in March and April.

Some lawmakers have also filed proposals to revert to the old calendar.

The Department of Education (DepEd) earlier said that while it is implementing measures to return to the old school calendar, the transition will only fully take hold in 2026.

«We've already established based on the consultations that the next school year will end in mid-May, and the following year in April, until it reaches March,» Education Secretary Sara Duterte said.

For the school year 2023-2024, the DepEd set the end of the academic year earlier than scheduled or on May 31, 2024, to gradually shift back to the old school calendar with April-May as the summer vacation.

SY 2024-2025 in public schools is set to start on July 29, 2024 and end on May 16, 2025.