4-day school week proposed

MANILA, Philippines - With traffic jams expected to worsen this year due to infrastructure construction, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino is pushing for a four-day school week.

The scheme has long been practiced in several countries including the United States, Tolentino said.

He said the scheme, which he is proposing to the Department of Education (DepEd),  has been effective in reducing traffic as well as the costs of energy and education.

Speaking at the end of the two-day Metro Manila Traffic Management Summit in Makati City, Tolentino said 21 US states have been implementing the shortened school week scheme since the 1930s.

Among these are Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico, Tolentino said, citing data from the US National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL).

“This four-day school week program is not a new concept. In fact, it has been practiced since the 1930s, and became more common during the 1970 US energy crisis,” Tolentino said.

He said the shortened school week will not only help cut vehicular and pedestrian volume in major thoroughfares but also transportation and education costs.

“The solution is not perfect and has room for adjustment to fit in the Philippine school system. However, it is also undoubtedly a scheme that will redound to the benefit of the general public and help improve the traffic situation in Metro Manila,” Tolentino said in his letter to Education Secretary Armin Luistro.

“With only four days in school, students and teachers have more time to spend with their families and loved ones,” he said.

DepEd open to proposal

The DepEd, for its part, is open to the MMDA’s proposal for a four-day school week in all elementary and high schools.

The DepEd is set to create a task force to study the recommendation, officials said yesterday.

“We have yet to receive a formal proposal from the MMDA. As with all suggestions, this will first undergo study to determine its effect on education,” said Luistro.

He said he would meet with principals and superintendents to identify specific schools that would be affected.

“In formulating guidelines for this, we need to take into consideration the actual schools to be affected by the construction projects as well as the adjustments in the schedule of classes,” he said.

Public schools have a 200-day school calendar, 180 of which need to be spent in the classroom, Luistro said.

“It must also be noted that the school year is about to end, so any changes in class schedule for the affected areas will be implemented next school year,” he said.

“If implemented, we need to ensure that the quality of learning is not compromised,” he added.

But the Federation of Associations of Private Schools and Administrators (FAPSA) does not agree with the MMDA’s recommendation.

FAPSA president Eleazardo Kasilag said car pooling or introducing government transport buses is the best solution to lessen the number of cars on the road.

“That’s ridiculous. We need classes and pay what the typhoons take away,” he said. - With Helen Flores